Bishwa Nath Singh:
There must be many who must not be aware as who was the Personal Physician of Mahatma Gandhi a veteran Gandhian and a leprologist in her own right.She was none else than Dr.Sushila Nayyar whose elder brother Ptyarelal Nayyar was also the Personal Secretary of Mahatma Gandhi.Let us have glimpse on her life history in brief and pay our respectful homage to her!
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(Photo of Mahatma Gandhi is seen with Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and Dr Sushila Nayyar proceeding towards the venue of a Congress Working Committee meeting )
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Bishwa Nath Singh :
In this Photograph, Mahatma Gandhi is seen with Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and Dr Sushila Nayyar proceeding towards the venue of a Congress Working Committee meeting .Let us have glimpse on the life-history of Dr. Sushila Nayyar!Dr. Sushila N...ayyar was born on December 26, 1914 in Kunjah, Punjab now in Pakistan, and came to Delhi while she was a student to study medicine at Lady Hardinge Medical College.She passed her M.B.B.S. and M.D. from Lady Hardings Medical College of Punjab University and completed her M.P.H. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.A. She worked for some time as Registrar and Assistant Professor in Lady Hardings Medical College and Chief Medical Officer, Faridabad. Many years later, she functioned as Professor of Community Medicine in the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences at Sevagram (founded by her in 1969). She was a member of many prestigious medical institutions: President, All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (1964-66); President, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi; Chairman, Indian Red Cross Society (1964-67) and National Society for Prevention of Blindness (1964-1981); President, Indian Society for Rehabilitation of the Handicapped (for over 10 years), etc. Besides being a medical person, Dr. Sushilaben was intensely active in many other fields of social interest, women's problems, handicapped persons and held many positions in national institutions engaged in these different fields. She was Chairman of the Kasturba National Memorial Trust, All India Prohibition Council, Kasturba Health Society, Indian Council for Child Welfare, etc. Pyarelal Nayyar who was her elder brother, was Secretary to Mahatma Gandhi until his passing away; hence Dr. Sushila was in close contact with Mahatma Gandhi since her young age until Mahatmaji's passing away. She got involved in the Freedom Movement and went to jail. She was in detention with Mahatmaji and Kasturba in Agakhan palace, Pune from 1942-44 and joined the Quit India Movement. She participated in Gandhiji's program for Peace and Communal Harmony in Noakhali and Punjab. After Gandhiji's Nirvan, she came in close contact with Acharya Vinoba Bhave and participated in his Bhoodan movement by joining his padyatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir (1956-57). Dr. Nayar has written number of books, some of which have received acclaim "Bapu ki Karavas Kahani" (received Presidential Award in 1952), "Hamari Ba" (1948), "Kasturba, wife of Mahatma Gandhi" (1960). Her elder brother, Shri Pyarelalji, had taken upon himself to write volumes on Mahatmaji, but could complete only three. On his passing away, Dr. Nayar completed the remaining five volumes (IV, V, VI, VII and VIII). Dr. Nayar received a number of awards, prominent among which are: "Desikottam" by Vishwa Bharati University, Shantiniketan in 1995; Amol Prabha Das Award by the government of Assam in 1996; Ba and Bapu Award by Ba-Bapu Samiti, Pune, in 1997; and Public Health Person of the Millennium Award in 2000. Dr. Nayar was elected as a member of the Delhi State Assembly (1950-56), became Health Minister of Delhi State (1952-55) and was Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly (1955-56). She was elected as a Member of Parliament from 1957-71 and 1977-79 and became Union Minister of Health, Town Planning and Family Planning from 1962 to 1967. During the congress regime, on account of her differences with Indira Gandhi and became member of the opposition named Janata party. She briefly held a position when it was voted to power that had itself created a history by overthrowing Indira Gandhi's Government. Thereafter she retired from politics to devote herself to the Gandhi an philosophy & his ideal. She had set up the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in 1969, and remained committed to its development and extension. She was in favor of prohibition and use to link this to the domestic concerns of poor women whose lives were often made miserable & hale by alcoholism in their husbands. She was also a staunch campaigner for family planning, once again seeing this as essential empowerment for women, especially poor women. In her personal life she practiced strict discipline and expected this also of her followers. She was unmarried with full of passion & wisdom. She had passed away on January3, 2001 at the age of eighty seven years at Sevagram near Wardha in Maharashtra. She had a towering personality and that was the reason that she was adored by every body. Let us pay our respectful homage & floral tribute to her! It is true that such lady seldom comes on this worldly earth may be once in thousand years.
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Bishwa Nath Singh:
Dr.Sushila Nayyar was deeply influenced by the Gandhian philosophy of hard work and abstinence. She felt strongly about the need for prohibition and linked this to the domestic concerns of poor women whose lives were often blighted by alcoholism in their husbands. She was also a staunch campaigner for family planning, once again seein...g this as essential empowerment for women, especially poor women. In her personal life she practised strict discipline and expected this also of her followers, acolytes and students Dr. Sushila Nayyar had distinction to be the Personal Physician of Mahatma Gandhi at the behest of Dr. B.C. Roy . She had distinction to serve the Union Govt. as the Minister for State for Health in Nehru's cabinet.Let us pay our floral tribute to her and carry out her legacy truthfully in our life!
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(Photo of Dr. Sushila Nayyar)
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Bishwa Nath Singh:
Let us join to pay our humble obeisance's to her lotus feet and pledge ourself to dedicate our life for the ideals of Gandhi Ji!
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f.b.
December 9,2010.
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