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Kothapalle Vedantha Desikan (1927-2022)

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Dr Desikan breathed last at the age of 96 yrs on October 23, 2022. We tearfully bid goodbye to this exemplary human being, for as he now belongs to the ages. It is hard to believe that Dr Desikan, who brought laurels to ICMR-National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and other Mycobacterial Diseases (NJIL and OMD), Agra and led this institute at par with the International Scientific Community in the area of leprosy research, is no more. Dr Desikan was born on January 1, 1927 in Hosahalli, Karnataka, to Shri Narayanachar and Smt Seethamma Kothapalle. He did his MBBS from Government Medical College, Mysore, Karnataka, in 1950 and MD in Pathology from Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, in 1966. He began a long and illustrious career as Medical Officer at Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation (GMLF), Wardha (1952-1963), followed by as Lecturer (Pathology), Christian Medical College, Vellore (1963-1967); Assistant Director, at Leprosy Research Institute, Chingleput (1967-1976); Director, Central JALMA Institute for Leprosy, Agra during 1976-1987 (presently known as ICMR-NJIL and OMD Agra) and as Chairman, LEPRA-India, Hyderabad (1987-2003). He continuously worked for over 45 years fighting with the social stigma that haunts leprosy patients till date. A man with many feathers in his cap, Dr Desikan contributed immensely to various disciplines such as pathology, microbiology, surgery, immunology, epidemiology, and animal experimentation.

Dr Desikan not only participated, initiated and executed various welfare activities built around leprosy and the people afflicted by it nationally but also did not shy away from leaving the comforts of his office to wade through the grime and dirt of rural India, either on bicycle or on foot. This effort was as part of a systematic yearly house-to-house survey to find active leprosy cases for an unprecedented initiative of the GMLF that aimed to control leprosy through domicile chemotherapy. On these visits, he often performed impromptu surgeries in makeshift operation theatres for those in need. This novel initiative was eventually adopted both at the national and international level, thereby becoming the Indian National Policy for Leprosy Control, which was also adopted by the World Health Organization. The man was also known to be the think tank behind many unprecedented initiatives for India, including the training of paramedical staff backed by GMLF, carrying out the first autopsy studies in leprosy at CMC Hospital, where he was pursuing MD, developing the mouse foot pad model and researching experimental transmission of leprosy. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Damien-Dutton Award of the Damien-Dutton Society in 2000 and the International Gandhi Award of GMLF in 2002.

Dr Desikan dedicated his whole life for leprosy research and served as the first Director of ICMR-NJIL and OMD, Agra. He was the founder of the Clinical Department here and established scientific liaisons with institutions across the globe. Under his visionary guidance and exemplary efforts, ICMR-NJIL and OMD found a place on the international map in the area of leprosy research. The institute has a research building named ‘Desikan Bhawan’ in the honour of Dr Desikan which was inaugurated by the then, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India on March 6, 2021.

A brilliant doctor, an outstanding teacher and a kind human being, Dr Desikan was the epitome of what a doctor ought to be and an example for all of us to emulate. He left behind a great and honoured name and the memory of a life; every action of which was noble, clear, transparent and immaculate. He will be deeply missed and the void he has left can never be filled. His memory will be treasured by all those who knew and loved him.

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