MGR's Doctor

Sri MGR Year 95, 23rd April, Monday

MGR Devotee Sailesh Basu has forwarded this news article which appeared in Times of India. Dr.Sathyanarayana who have operated our beloved Leader Puratchi Thalaivar MGR when he was shot by M.R.Radha on 12th January 1967.

The News Article is given below:

 

ENT specialist Dr C Sathyanarayana, who removed the bullet from former chief minister M G Ramachandran's neck after he was shot by his actor colleague M R Radha, died at his residence in Anna Nagar on Wednesday. He was 99. Dr Sathyanarayana is survived by his wife, two sons and five grandchildren.

Dr Sathyanarayana was born on October 6, 1913 in East Godavari district of the then Madras presidency. He studied at Madras Medical College (MMC) and joined Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai as a lecturer. In 1957, he was transferred to the MMC, where he later became the founder director of Institute of Otorhinolaryngology.


His colleagues remember him as one of the finest surgeons. He was a personal physician to many VVIPs, including former chief minister of Madras presidency C Rajagopalachari. Dr Sathyanarayana was invited as a guest at the White House when John F Kennedy was the American president.


His former colleague and ENT surgeon Dr S Kameshwaran remembers him as a beautiful sculptor. "He sculpted in his free time. During surgery, we still saw his artistic skills. His surgeries were very neat and clean," said Dr Kameshwaran.


But his most unforgettable surgery was the one done of MGR. On Jan 12, 1967, when MGR was wheeled into the Government General Hospital with bullet injuries in his neck, many distinguished doctors did not want to operate on him. Dr Sathyanarayana pulled out the bullet that was stuck in his collar bone. "If the surgery had failed, it could have proved fatal for MGR. It must have been a challenge to operate when there was so much public attention," Dr Kameshwaran said.


He was also known for his research and was the first honorary editor of the Indian Journal of Otolaryngology. "He stopped practicing medicine six years ago but he continued to give advice to his students till a few days ago," said his grandson and theatre actor Ajit Chitturi.