DR. V SHANTA
From Sampath’s Desk:
DR.
V SHANTA
(11 March 1927 - 19 January2021)
Dr V Shanta (94),
Chairperson of the Adyar Cancer Institute (Women’s Indian Association - WIA) –
established way back in 1954 under the leadership of late Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy
- passed away on 19.1.2021 (Tuesday). She remained an assiduous warrior and
sedulous champion throughout her life against the deadly disease Cancer and
fought a relentless battle against it till her last breath. She was born into a family that produced two Nobel Laureates Sir CV Raman (grand uncle) and S
Chandrasekar (uncle).
She was one of the
world-renowned oncologists who remained synonymous with cancer treatment and
fully dedicated herself to the service of cancer patients. She was almost a mobile encyclopedia of cancer treatment and research. She was a saviour and living God for her patients. The institute became
a Regional Cancer Centre and was declared a ‘Centre of Excellence’ by the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The Cancer
Institute has been offering high-quality cancer care to all the echelons of the
society.
She lived a saintly
selfless life with the single motto of curing people afflicted with cancer for
well over six decades. A crusader against cancer, she had touched
the lives of lakhs of affected people and their families. She didn’t have a
home away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital; rather she opted to live
in a make-shift room in the hospital complex itself.
She served as a member of
many national and international committees on health and medicine including the
World Health Organization (WHO) Advisory Committee on Health. She was adorned
with Ramon Magsaysay Award, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan (the
second-highest civilian award).
She even hated the word ‘cancer’ being used in a poor light. She had the following argument to explain her concept (vide her article under the caption 'No parallel' in 'The Hindu' dated 28.2.2018). In the context of widespread awareness already created among people coupled with the revolutionary, ground-breaking, futuristic, and holistic solutions being provided by the medical fraternity especially the Cancer Institute, Chennai to prevent the onset or cure the condition if it is detected at the early stages, such a usage is not in order. Moreover, remarkable relief assistance and rehabilitation help have been given to lakhs of people afflicted with the disease restoring self-confidence in them to lead a normal productive life enabled by state-of-the-art medical interventions. Hence she was opposed to the word ‘cancer’ being used as an adjective or idiom equating the disease with scams, scandals, guilt, sense of hopelessness, dread, etc. - all with negative tinge and spooking connotations.
In fact, in today’s context, such usage
is rather misleading, petrifying and even spine-chilling, to say the least.
Madam had a valid point to express.
Her departure is an irreparable loss to the nation in general and the medical world/cancer research and cure in particular.
R.SAMPATH
19/1/2021
ReplyDeleteDr. V. SHANTA
Superb!
In this tribute, you have elaborately, eloquently, and elegantly honored the life and legacy of Dr. V Shanta.
Your writing adequately captures Dr. Shanta's championing the cause of cancer-afflicted people, her dedication toward avowed objectives for healthcare, and her remarkable contributions in the field of oncology. The narrative reflecting a deep appreciation of her work is a touching and befitting homage to the towering personality in cancer research and medical interventions.
It is, of course, impossible to fully cover the life and work of the nonpareil personality that Dr. Shanta was, due to space constraints. However, you have done justice to bring out the highlights of her noble and altruistic services. Normally, one would like to live in a home with comforts, away from the flurry and hive of activity in the workplace. But she opted to live in a make-shift accommodation in the bustling Adyar Cancer Institute complex itself which speaks volumes on how she kept the interests of the cancer-affected patients close and dear to her heart and, above all, her total commitment to their welfare and well-being even at the cost of her own personal comforts and unmindful of workplace-related hassles - a rarity in this materialistic world!
In short, her life was an epitome and embodiment of and synonymous with compassionate, sympathetic, and empathetic service. Needless to say, she is a role model for selfless service to humankind in the medical world, sure to inspire the present and future generations of doctors and healthcare personnel, not to speak of the sense of gratitude that countless patients and their family members owed and showed to her!
The article is truly exceptional, Sampath Ji. Your unique and inimitable writing style is greatly appreciated.
Kamala Subramanian
8/11/2023