Surfing through the Net the other day I chanced upon a singer bearing the surname Udupa and the surname sounding quite familiar , my memory at once flashed back to the days when decades back my father made a mention of one Dr. Udupa, who had operated upon him for duodenal ULCER in 1956 or perhaps 1957 at Snowdon Hospital,Shimla ,as being a toddler then , I didn't even know about some such thing occurring. My father always remembered him with respect as his saviour and life giver as surgery of that kind was not common those days.Moreover Dr.Udupa was an Ayurvedic Doctor.
My father also remembered that he had gone to Benares afterwards.
Padmashri Dr. K.N.Udupa ( 28th July 1920 - 22nd July 1992 ) was born at Udupi in Karnataka in a renowned family of Sanskrit scholars. He was educated and trained abroad also and was an FRCS. He started his career from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh and was later posted at Snowdon Hospital Shimla.In between he had worked at Boston also.
At Benares ,he was posted as Professor of Surgery in Ayurvedic College of BHU, which later became an Institute under his stewardship. In the ' 50s he had also headed a Committe on the Reform of Education,Practice and Research in Indigenous Systems of Medicine , which came to be known as Udupa Committee.
Dr. Udupa was awarded Padmashri in 1972. After retirement in 1980, he rendered services as a Professor Emeritus.
He died on 22nd July 1992 of Colon cancer.
I bow in reverence to the outstanding Doctor !!