Isaac Santra | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 November 1892 |
| Died | 29 August 1968 (aged 75) |
| Resting place | 21°28′N83°58′E / 21.47°N 83.97°E |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Known for | Leprosy eradication efforts |
| Spouse | Rajkumari Das |
| Children | Two daughters and three sons |
| Awards | Padma Shri Rai Saheb |
Isaac Santra was an Indian physician, gandhian and social worker, [1] known for his contributions for the eradication of Leprosy from India. [2] [3] The Government of India honoured him in 1956, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his services to the nation. [4]
Isaac Santra was born on 3 November 1892 [5] in Sambalpur in the western part of the Indian state of Odisha to a pastor and his wife in a family with meagre financial resources. [1] Going against the wishes of his father who wanted the young Isaac to be pastor, [5] he did his schooling in Sambalpur and joined Shri Ramachandra Bhanj Medical College, Cuttack in 1919 to secure a medical degree. His experience during his medical education and the social stigma associated with the disease of leprosy impacted the young man and he decided to pursue his career treating the disease. [1] Santra started his medical career by joining the Central Government service and headed the Leprosy Survey of India during 1927 to 1931. In 1932, he was selected as a member of the Leprosy Prevention Society of Great Britain and retained the position till his retirement in 1947. [1] He also served on deputation to countries such as Japan and Nigeria during various occasions as Leprosy Expert of the International Leprosy Association. [6] Notes on Leprosy in Japan is a publication he has brought out in 1953, post his service in Japan. [7]
After retirement from government service, Santra tried to gather resources and, by obtaining government assistance, he founded Hatibari Kushtashram, [3] [5] in 1951, later to be known as Hatibari Health Home, [8] in Hatibari, a village near the Jujomura Block[Odisha] states. [2] [9] At a time when Dapsone, a drug for the treatment of leprosy was yet to be formulated, he turned to ancient Indian scriptures such as Sushruta Samhita and came out with a medicine made of chaulmoogra (Hydnocarpus wightianus) and started treating leprosy patients with this drug. [1] The place soon developed into a treatment and rehabilitation centre from where patients cured of the disease will be assisted in reintegration into the mainstream society. He served the Health Home till his death after which the centre was taken over by Hind Kustha Nibarini Sangha (HKNS), and was brought under the jurisdiction of the Government of Odisha. [2]
Isaac Santra was married to Rajkumari Das [10] and one of his sons, Dilip Kumar Santra is also a medical doctor. [1] His eldest son, Prasanta Chitta Santra served in the Indian Air Force and retired as Air Vice Marshall. Dr. Santra died on 29 August 1968, aged 76, succumbing to the injuries sustained during a domestic accident at his home in Sambalpur. [1]
The British Government conferred the title of Rai Saheb on Santra in 1938. [1] The Government of India recognized his services to the society by awarding him the fourth highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1956. [4] The village of Sambalpur is home to a social institute, Isaac Santra Institute of Social Work and Community Health, named after him. [3] Smile Foundation India, a non governmental organization, has named one of its children's home as Dr. Isaac Santra Balniketan. [11]
Murlidhar Devidas Amte, popularly known as Baba Amte, was an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of people suffering from leprosy. He has received numerous awards and prizes including the Padma Vibhushan, the Dr. Ambedkar International Award, the Gandhi Peace Prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Templeton Prize and the Jamnalal Bajaj Award. He is also known as the modern Gandhi of India.
Dr. Hariharan Srinivasan was an Indian orthopedic surgeon who worked primarily with leprosy. He wrote under the pen name Charvakan in Tamil. He retired in 2008.
Dr. Haldhar Nag is a Sambalpuri poet and writer from Bargarh, Odisha, India. Popularly known as "Lok kabi Ratna". He was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India by Government of India in 2016. He was born in a poor family of Ghens. He is best known for his work Kavyanjali, an anthology of English translation of Nag's selected poetry which was launched on 2 October 2016. Recently he released his 3rd volume of work on Kavyanjali. In 2019 Haldhar Nag was awarded Doctorate Degree by Sambalpur University. In the year 2020, Professor Jaishankar Babu, Head of the Department of Hindi, Pondicherry University, organized a two-day international seminar under the guidance of its Vice-Chancellor Professor Gurmeet Singh, in which "Haldhar Nag Ka kavya- Sansar" translated into Hindi from Sambalpuri by renowned Hindi writer-cum-transaltor Dinesh Kumar Mali was released and there was an intensive discussion on his poems by the participants from India and abroad. In the year 2021, under joint editorship Professor Jaishankar Babu and translator Dinesh Kumar Mali, the book "'Haldhar ke Lok-sahitya par vimarsh'" and the book "Ramayan prasangon par Haldhar ke Kavya aur yugin Vimarsh " translated by Dinesh Kumar Mali based on Ramayana contexts. published from Pandulipi Prakashan, New Delhi.The popularity of these books Hindi Belt honored Haldhar Nag with Dr. Ram Manohar Tripathi Lok Seva Samman on the Silver Jubilee eve of Acharya Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi Smruti Sanrakshan Abhiyan under the leadership of Gaurav Awasthi in the auditorium of Firoz Gandhi College, Rae Bareli on date 12.11.22. The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has included a review of literary creations of Padma awardee and noted poet Haldhar Nag. According to sources, students pursuing a Master of Arts (MA) in Folklore and Culture Studies will study folk literature by Nag in a course component titled, ‘Folklore: Canon, Multimediality, Interdisciplinarity, and Social Epistemology’ in their second year.The course book has described Nag as the true representative of orality in the present times. His creations have been reviewed in the category, ‘Case study of orality from East India’.“Nag has based his poems on his surroundings. Folklorists and folklore researchers are vulnerable to multiple challenges with regards to archiving, documentation, and dissemination of the folk material,” TOI reported writer Nandini Sahu, who has designed the MA course for IGNOU, as saying.Notably, writer Dinesh K Mali has written a chapter for the MA programme on Nag’s poetry.'
Parbati Giri, daughter of Dhananjay Giri. Nicknamed the Mother Teresa of Western Odisha, was a prominent female freedom fighter from Odisha, India. The women freedom fighters of Odisha played a significant role in the Indian Freedom Struggle.
Taraprasad Das is an Indian ophthalmologist, who specializes in diseases of the retina and vitreous membrane. He is currently the Vice-Chairman of the L.V.Prasad Eye Institute. He is professor of ophthalmology at the Sun Yet-sen University of Medical Sciences in Guangzhou, China.
Dr. Balram Bhargava is an Indian cardiologist, medical educationist, and innovator, known for his expertise and for his social commitment. Currently, serving as the Chief of Cardiothoracic Centre, AIIMS. He is Ex-Director General at the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi and Secretary, Department of Health Research a division under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
P. K. Gopal is an Indian social worker and a co-founder of International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement (IDEA), an international advocacy group, known for his services towards eradication of leprosy, especially in India. He was honored by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Nikhil Tandon is an Indian endocrinologist, medical academic and the head of the department of endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He is a recipient of Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the highest Indian medical award in 2005 and was honoured by the Government of India in 2015 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Khushdeva Singh (1902–1985) was an Indian physician and social worker, known for his contributions towards the treatment of tuberculosis in India. Born in Patiala in the Indian state of Punjab, he served at the Hardinge Sanatorium, Dharampur in Himachal Pradesh for most of his service. He was the founder of the Lepers' Welfare Society, Patiala for the rehabilitation of leprosy patients of the region. Reports credit him as a humanist with a secular vision; he was known to have treated several Muslims during the Partition of India. He is the author of the books In Dedication and Love is Stronger Than Hate. In 1957, the Government of India honoured him with Padma Shri, the fourth-highest Indian civilian award, for his service to the nation. The Padma Shri Dr. Khushdeva Singh Hospital for Chest Diseases in Patiala is named after him.
Parshuram Mishra was an Indian botanist, educationist and the first vice chancellor of the Sambalpur University. He completed his college studies at the University of Calcutta in 1961 and secured a doctoral degree (PhD) from the University of Leeds, the first person from Odisha to secure a doctoral degree from the university. He is a former member of faculty at Leeds during which period he published several botanical articles. Returning to India, he became the vice chancellor of Utkal University. When the Government of Odisha started Sambalpur University in 1967, Mishra was made the first vice chancellor.
Natteri Veeraraghavan (1913-2004) was an Indian physician, microbiologist and medical researcher, known for his contributions to the understanding of diseases like rabies, tuberculosis and leprosy. He was a former director of the Pasteur Institute of India, Coonoor and the chairman of the World Health Organization International Reference Center on Rabies. He was honoured by the Government of India in 1967, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his contributions to the society.
Jadunath Supakar was an Indian artist and textile designer. He was born in 1931 in Sambalpur in the Indian state of Odisha and was known for his contributions for the popularization of handloom industry of Varanasi. He was a recipient of the Odisha Lalit Kala Academy Award and his creations have been exhibited in several countries. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1985. His son, Sribhash Chandra Supakar, is also a textile designer and a national award winner.
Noshir Hormasji Antia (1922–2007) was an Indian plastic surgeon and social worker, known for his pioneering contributions to the treatment and rehabilitation of people afflicted with leprosy. He was the founder of three notable non governmental organizations, Foundation for Research in Community Health (FRCH), Foundation for Medical Research (FMR) and the National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped (NASEOH), all working in the field of rehabilitation of patients, cured or otherwise. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri in 1990.
Govind Narain Malviya is an Indian physician and leprologist, known for his efforts in the treatment and rehabilitation of Leprosy patients in India. He is the deputy director of the Central JALMA Institute for Leprosy, Agra. Malviya has delivered many award lectures and is the author of several medical papers; ResearchGate, an online repository of scientific papers, have listed 109 of his articles. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri in 1991. Nine years later, the Medical Council of India honoured him with Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the highest Indian award in the medical sector.
Damodar Ganesh Bapat was an Indian social worker known for his service to the leprosy patients at Bhartiya Kushta Nivarak Sangh (BKNS) in Janjgir–Champa district, Chhattisgarh, India. In 2018, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in recognition of his social work. He was also awarded the Chhattisgarh Rajya Alankar by the state of Chhattisgarh.
Digambar Behera is a doctor from Cuttack, Odisha, India. His specialization is in pulmonary diseases. In 2020, he received the Padma Shri honour from the Government of India for his contribution to the field of medicine.
Dr. Krishna Mohan Pathi is an Indian orthopedic surgeon from Odisha, India, who is known for his work in Odisha's tribal areas. He treats the poor for free of cost. He is the founder of Bharadwaj Gurukul Ashram, a charitable organization that helps the poor and needy with medical treatment for the last three decades, as of 2021. On January 26, 2021, the Government of India conferred him India's fourth-highest civilian award the Padma Shri.
Vijaykumar Vinayak Dongre is a medical doctor from Mumbai who has devoted his entire life for the eradication of leprosy in the urban and rural areas, including the tribal areas, in the Indian State of Maharashtra. According to some estimates, there were approximately 40 lakh leprosy patients in India in 1981, but after the efforts of Dongre and others this has come down to 83,000. Dongre is affiliated to The Society for Eradication of Leprosy, Mumbai and is serving the Society as its Honorary Secretary. Dongre was associated with Acworth Leprosy hospital, Mumbai as the Medical Superintendent for nearly 35 years and with Gandhi Memorial Foundation, Wardha as a director for nearly 8 years.
Utsav Charan Das is an Indian dancer. He is also a lyricist, music composer and play writer. In 2020, he was awarded Padma Shri by the Indian government for his contribution in Arts.
Mukut Minz is an Indian doctor. In 2017, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian Government for his contribution in medicine.
| Psychiatric hospitals and Other In-Patient Units |
|
|---|---|
| Non-governmental organization | |
| Mental Health Professional Associations | |
| Mental Health Journals | |
| Key People | |
| Controversy & Criticism | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
