LUCKNOW, Uttar Pradesh — Two eminent doctors from Lucknow have been awarded the Padma Shri for their distinguished contributions to medicine, marking a proud moment for the Uttar Pradesh capital. The honorees are renowned pulmonologist and tuberculosis specialist Dr Rajendra Prasad and noted Ayurveda surgeon K.K. Thakral.
Dr Rajendra Prasad, a former Head of the Department at King George’s Medical University, is widely regarded as the founder of the university’s Pulmonary Medicine Department. He began his association with KGMU as a student and went on to lead the department, shaping pulmonary medicine education and practice over several decades.
Speaking after the announcement, Dr Prasad reflected on his personal journey, noting that his late father, Gopichand, was a cloth merchant, while his late mother, Vijay Lakshmi, was a homemaker. His son, Dr Nikhil Gupta, is a faculty member in the Department of Medicine at the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute, and his daughter, Dr Pallavi, is a dentist.
Dr Prasad credited his wife, Meera Gupta, and his family for their support throughout his career. Reflecting on nearly five decades in medical practice, he said, “I have always maintained a warm and respectful relationship with my patients. I would advise the next generation of doctors to treat patients with empathy, as good behaviour helps patients recover faster.”
K.K. Thakral, a distinguished practitioner of Shalya Tantra, or Ayurvedic surgery, was also conferred with the Padma Shri for his lifelong service to healthcare.
Recalling his early life, Thakral said his family originally lived in what is now Pakistan’s Sargodha district and migrated to India during the Partition in 1947, eventually settling in Yamunanagar, now in Haryana. “My father was a physician and practised medicine. The initial years were difficult, but despite the challenges, my father paid special attention to our education,” he said.
Thakral said that after completing his intermediate education, his father sent him to an Ayurvedic college in Lucknow, where he underwent five years of intensive training. “Due to my father’s discipline and guidance, I consistently performed well in all subjects. The MS (Ayurveda) degree had just been introduced at that time, and I was the topper of the first batch,” he said.
He completed his studies in Lucknow in 1964 and later in Banaras in 1968, adding that the discipline and values he learned during his education shaped his professional life. Thakral has served as both a lecturer and professor and said that a large majority of his patients come from economically weaker sections.
“Around 70 to 80 per cent of my patients come from economically weaker sections, such as labourers, workers, and low-income groups. They need good, affordable, and accessible healthcare. If a farmer does not receive timely treatment, it affects not only his health but also his livelihood,” he said.
Highlighting the advantages of Ayurveda, Thakral described it as a cost-effective system of medicine that does not depend on foreign exchange. Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to promote AYUSH and traditional medicine, he said, “The system has undergone changes over time, and medical treatment has become expensive in many places. In this context, the Prime Minister’s initiative to promote AYUSH and traditional medicine is highly commendable, in public interest, and in the national interest.” (Source: IANS)
