Happy Doctors' Day..!!
Doctor’s Day is celebrated in India on the 1st of July every year. This day has been chosen as a mark of respect to the contributions made by Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, who left an indelible mark in the history of medical profession in India.
Bidhan Chandra Roy, M.R.C.P., F.R.C.S. (1 July 1882
– 1 July 1962) was the second Chief Minister of West Bengal in
India.
He was a highly respected physician and
a renowned freedom fighter. Bidhan Roy is often considered
the great architect of West Bengal
He was an alumnus of the Medical College Calcutta of the University of Calcutta. He is one of the
few people who completed both F.R.C.S. and M.R.C.P. simultaneously within only
two years and three months. In India, the National Doctor's Day is
celebrated on the date of his birth (and death) July 1 every year.
He was awarded Bharat Ratna on 4 February 1961, India's
highest civilian honour. He
was also a member of the Brahmo Samaj.
Early Life:
Bidhan Chandra Roy was born on
July 1, 1882, at B. M. Das road, Bankipore in Patna, Bihar. His father Prakash
Chandra was an Excise Inspector. Bidhan was the youngest of five children and
was greatly influenced by the simplicity, discipline and piety of his parents.
His parents inculcated in him the idea of service by taking care of people
other than relatives with affection and understanding. Bidhan's mother died
when he was 14. His father played the role of both father and mother to his
five children. He promised never to compel them to do anything but to just
guide them on their path. All five children were required to do the household
chores themselves. This was very helpful for Bidhan in his college days. Bidhan
did his I.A. fromPresidency College, Calcutta and B.A.
from Patna College with Honors in Mathematics.
He applied for admission to the Bengal Engineering College, and the Calcutta Medical College. He was accepted
to both institutions but opted to go to medical school. Bidhan left for
Calcutta in June 1901. While at medical school Bidhan came upon an inscription
which read, "Whatever thy hands findeth to do, do it with thy might."
Bidhan was deeply impressed by these words and they became a source of
inspiration for him throughout his life.
Bidhan's term in medical school was fraught with
hardships. His father retired as a Deputy Collector after the first year and
could no longer send Bidhan any money. Bidhan fended for himself by getting a
scholarship and living frugally, saving on books by borrowing notes and relying
on books in the library.
Career
Immediately after graduation,
B.C. Roy joined the Provincial Health Service. He exhibited immense dedication
and hard work. He was prepared to prescribe medicine to patients and even serve
as a nurse when necessary. In his free time he practiced privately, charging a
nominal fee of Rs. 2 only.
Bidhan sailed for England with
only Rs. 1,200 in February 1909 intending to enroll himself at St Bartholomew's Hospital to further
his education. The Dean, reluctant to accept a student from Asia, rejected
Bidhan's application. Dr. Roy did not lose heart. Again and again he submitted
his application until finally the Dean, after 30 admission requests, accepted
Bidhan to the college. Within two years and three months, Bidhan completed his
M.R.C.P. and F.R.C.S. and returned home from England in 1911. On his return he
taught at the Calcutta Medical College, then the
Campbell Medical School and finally at the Carmichael Medical College.
Dr. Roy believed that swaraj
would remain a dream unless the people were healthy and strong in mind and
body. He made contributions to the organization of medical education. He
established the Jadavpur T.B. Hospital, Chittaranjan Seva Sadan, Kamala Nehru
Hospital, Victoria Institution, and Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital.
The Chittaranjan Seva Sadan for women and children was opened in 1926. The
women were unwilling to come to the hospital initially but thanks to Dr. Roy
and his teams hard work, the Seva Sadan was embraced by women of all classes
and communities. He opened a center for training women in nursing and social
work.
In 1942, Rangoon fell to Japanese
bombing and caused an exodus from Calcutta fearing Japanese insurgency. Dr. Roy
was serving as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta. He acquired
air-raid shelters for schools and college students to have their classes in,
and provided relief for students, teachers and employees alike. In recognition
for his efforts, the Doctorate of Science was conferred upon him in 1944.
Dr. Roy believed that the youth
of India would determine the future of the nation. He felt that the youth must
not take part in strikes and fasts but should study and commit themselves to
social work. At his Convocation Address on December 15, 1956 at the University of Lucknow, Dr. Roy said,
"My young friends, you are soldiers in the battle of freedom-freedom from
want, fear, ignorance, frustration and helplessness. By a dint of hard work for
the country, rendered in a spirit of selfless service, may you march ahead with
hope and courage... ."
Dr. Roy was both Gandhiji's
friend and doctor. When Gandhiji was undergoing a fast in Parnakutivin, Poona
in 1933 during the Quit India Movement, Dr. Roy attended to him.
Gandhiji refused to take medicine on the grounds that it was not made in India.
Gandhiji asked Dr. Roy, "Why should I take your treatment? Do you treat
four hundred million of my countrymen free?" Dr. Roy replied, "No
Gandhiji, I could not treat all patients free. But I came... not to treat
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but to treat "him" who to me represents
the four hundred million people of my country." Gandhiji relented and took
the medicine.
The
nation honored Dr. Roy with the Bharat Ratna on
February 4, 1961. On July 1, 1962, after treating his morning patients and
discharging affairs of the State, he took a copy of the "Brahmo Geet"
and sang a piece from it. 11 hours later Dr. Roy died on his 80th birthday at
midday past three. He gifted his house for running a nursing home named after
his mother, Aghorkamini Devi. The B.C. Roy National Award was instituted in
1976 for work in the area of medicine, politics, science, philosophy,
literature and arts. The Dr. B.C. Roy Memorial Library and Reading Room for
Children in the Children's Book Trust, New Delhi, was opened in 1967. Today,
his private papers are part of the Archives at the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library,
at Teen Murti House, Delhi.
