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{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Dukhan Ram
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1899|07|15}}
| birth_place = [[Sasaram]], [[Bihar]], India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1990|04|16|1899|07|05}}
| death_place = [[Patna]], Bihar, India
| restingplace =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| othername =
| occupation = Ophthalmologist<br />Medical academic
| yearsactive = 1926–1990
| known for = Medical and general academics
| spouse =
| domesticpartner =
| children = Six children
| parents =
| website =
| signature =
| awards = [[Padma Bhushan]]<br />[[Rai Sahib]]
}}
'''Dukhan Ram''' (1899–1990) was an Indian ophthalmologist, academic, legislator and the vice chancellor of [[Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University]].<ref name="Message from the Principal">{{cite web | url=http://spcollegedumka.com/principal-message | title=Message from the Principal | publisher=S P College | date=2016 | access-date=8 July 2016}}</ref> He was the principal of [[Patna Medical College]], one of the oldest medical colleges in India,<ref name="Our Principal">{{cite web | url=http://patnamedicalcollege.com/pmch/our-principal/ | title=Our Principal | publisher=Patna Medical College | date=2016 | access-date=8 July 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710043551/http://patnamedicalcollege.com/pmch/our-principal/ | archive-date=10 July 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and the president of ''Arya Pradeshik Pratinidhi Sabha'', a satellite organization of [[Arya Samaj]], founded by [[Dayanand Saraswati]].<ref name="Vision and Visionaries">{{cite web | url=http://www.davnrps.org/pdf/DAVNandrajProspectus.pdf | title=Vision and Visionaries | publisher=D.A.V. Nandraj Public School | date=2016 | access-date=8 July 2016}}</ref> He successfully contested the [[1962 Bihar Legislative Assembly election]] from [[Sasaram]] constituency, on [[Indian National Congress]] candidature<ref name="List of Successful Candidates in Bihar Assembly Election in 1962">{{cite web | url=http://www.elections.in/bihar/assembly-constituencies/1962-election-results.html | title=List of Successful Candidates in Bihar Assembly Election in 1962 | publisher=Elections.in | date=2016 | access-date=8 July 2016}}</ref> and served as the president of All India Ophthalmological Society in 1961.<ref name="AIOS Presidents & Secretaries">{{cite web | url=http://www.aios.org/pastpresinsecy.htm | title=AIOS Presidents & Secretaries | publisher=All India Ophthalmological Society | date=2016 | access-date=8 July 2016 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123022423/http://aios.org/pastpresinsecy.htm | archive-date=23 November 2015 }}</ref> The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the [[Padma Bhushan]], in 1962, for his contributions to medical science.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2016 |access-date=3 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6U68ulwpb?url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 November 2014 }}</ref>

== Biography ==
Dukhan Ram was born on 15 July 1899 in a [[Vaishya|Vaisya family]] with poor financial means in [[Sasaram]] in the Indian state of [[Bihar]] and did his early education at local schools in [[Shahabad district]] in difficult circumstances as his father died when he was only four.<ref name="Padma Bhushan Dr. Dukhan Ram">{{cite web | url=http://aoibj.org/awards/name/padma-bhushan-ram/ | title=Padma Bhushan Dr. Dukhan Ram | publisher=Association of Otolaryngologists of India | date=2013 | access-date=9 July 2016 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706152008/http://aoibj.org/awards/name/padma-bhushan-ram/ | archive-date=6 July 2016 }}</ref> It is reported that his studies were with the help of scholarship as well as the earnings from part-time jobs as a tutor and as a garment peddler during holidays. His marriage took place when he was 16 years of age but he continued his education and joined [[Calcutta Medical College]] in 1920 to graduate in medicine from there in 1926, during which time he studied Bachelor of Science course concurrently to pass out in 1925. His medical internship was at [[Patna Medical College]] from 1927 after which he did higher studies in Ophthalmology (DLO and DOMS) at the [[Royal College of Surgeons of London]].<ref name="Obituary">{{cite journal | url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02993205 | title=Obituary | journal=Indian Journal of Otolaryngology | date=June 1990 | volume=42 | issue=2 | pages=94| doi=10.1007/BF02993205 | doi-broken-date=31 October 2021 }}</ref> Returning to India in 1934, he joined Patna Medical College as a faculty member of the Ophthalmology and [[otorhinolaryngology]] department where he rose in ranks to become the professor of the department in 1944. During his tenure there, the institution started four courses, DO, DLO, MS (Eye) and MS (ENT).<ref name="Dr Dukhan Ram (1899-1990)">{{cite web | url=http://www.entindia.info/2010/02/dr-dukhan-ram-1899-1990.html | title=Dr Dukhan Ram (1899-1990) | publisher=ENT India | date=2016 | access-date=9 July 2016}}</ref>

Two years before the Indian independence, the British Government awarded Ram the title of [[Rai Sahib]] in 1945.<ref name="Padma Bhushan Dr. Dukhan Ram" /> He was involved with [[Arya Samaj]] and served as the president of the Bihar chapter of the ''Arya Pratinidhi Sabha'' in 1951, as the vice president of the national organization in 1956 and presided the ''International Arya League'' held in Mauritius in 1957. The same year, he was chosen to operate on [[Rajendra Prasad]], the then President of India. He continued his association with Indian President's office by serving as the honorary ophthalmic surgeon to the next four presidents viz. [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]], [[Zakir Husain (politician)|Zakir Husain]], [[Varahagiri Venkata Giri]] and [[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]]. In 1959, he was appointed as the principal of Patna Medical College and it was during his tenure as the principal, he was selected as the vice chancellor of [[Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University]]. As the vice chancellor, he was reported to have contributed in the establishment of [[Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences]], Ranchi as well as the medical colleges in [[Muzaffarpur]] and [[Bhagalpur]].<ref name="Padma Bhushan Dr. Dukhan Ram" /> When the Government of India set up a Health Survey and Planning Committee for reviewing medical relief and public health services and proposing guidelines, chaired by [[A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar]] (later known as ''Mudaliar Committee'') in 1959, he was selected as a member of the committee.<ref name="Mudaliar Committee">{{cite web | url=http://www.communityhealth.in/~commun26/wiki/images/6/61/Mudaliar_Committee_report_1961.PDF.pdf | title=Mudaliar Committee | publisher=Lakshmanswami Mudaliar Committee | date=1959 | access-date=9 July 2016}}</ref>

Ram was the founder president of the Bihar unit of the All India Ophthalmological Society,<ref name="Bihar Ophthalmological Society">{{cite web | url=http://www.biharophthalmologicalsociety.in/History.aspx | title=Bihar Ophthalmological Society | publisher=Bihar Ophthalmological Society | date=2016 | access-date=9 July 2016}}</ref> chaired the organizing committee of Patna and [[Jamshedpur]] annual conferences in 1952 and 1956 respectively and was the national president of the organization in 1961.<ref name="AIOS Presidents & Secretaries" /> He presided the 1953 and 1961 national conferences of otorhinolaryngologists and ophthalmologists held in [[Hyderabad]]<ref name="Obituary" /> and was the president of Bihar chapter of the [[Indian Medical Association]] during 1954–55.<ref name="Past presidents">{{cite web | url=http://www.imabihar.org/past-presidents/ | title=Past presidents | publisher=Indian Medical Association Bihar | date=2016 | access-date=9 July 2016}}</ref> He was the founder-president of ''IASINDIA - Institute of Administrative Studies'', a Patna-based institution of higher studies in administration and management.<ref name="Founder president IAS India">{{cite web | url=http://new.iasindia.org/ | title=Founder president IAS India | publisher=Institute of Administrative Studies | date=2016 | access-date=9 July 2016}}</ref> He was one of the founders of the [[National Academy of Medical Sciences]]<ref name="Obituary NAMS">{{cite web | url=http://nams-india.in/webpages/obituary.html | title=Obituary NAMS | publisher=NAMS | date=2016 | access-date=9 July 2016}}</ref> and was its elected fellow (1961).<ref name="NAMS Fellow">{{cite web | url=http://nams-india.in/docs_pdfs/obit.pdf | title=NAMS Fellow | publisher=National Academy of Medical Sciences | date=2016 | access-date=9 July 2016}}</ref> The Government of India awarded him the civilian honor of the [[Padma Bhushan]] in 1962.<ref name="Patna Medical College and Hospital alumni stand tall">{{cite web | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Patna-Medical-College-and-Hospital-alumni-stand-tall/articleshow/15398582.cms | title=Patna Medical College and Hospital alumni stand tall | publisher=Times of India | date=8 August 2012 | access-date=9 July 2016}}</ref> Later, he contested the [[1962 Bihar Legislative Assembly election|Bihar Legislative Assembly election of 1962]] as an [[Indian National Congress]] candidate from [[Sasaram]] assembly constituency and won against Bipan Behari Sinha of [[Praja Socialist Party]] by a margin of 11984 votes.<ref name="List of Successful Candidates in Bihar Assembly Election in 1962" />

Dukhan Ram, whose wife had predeceased him, died on 16 April 1990 in Patna, aged 90 and survived by his six children.<ref name="Padma Bhushan Dr. Dukhan Ram" /> A public school in Patna, ''Dr. Dukhan Ram DAV Public School'', has been named after him.<ref name="Dr. Dukhan Ram DAV Public School">{{cite web | url=http://ibizbee.com/dr-dukhan-ram-dav-public-school-patna-bihar_institute_e418b35c23c1327dfe7e22ef69119ef8 | title=Dr. Dukhan Ram DAV Public School | publisher=Ibizbee | date=2016 | access-date=9 July 2016}}</ref> The Bihar and Jharkhand State Branch of The Association Of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgeons Of India have instituted an annual oration, ''Dr. Dukhan Ram Memorial Oration'', in his honour.<ref name="Dr. Dukhan Ram Memorial Oration">{{cite web | url=http://nmchpatna.org/conference12.htm | title=Dr. Dukhan Ram Memorial Oration | publisher=Nalanda Medical College | date=2012 | access-date=9 July 2016}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[1962 Bihar Legislative Assembly election]]
* [[Patna Medical College and Hospital]]
* [[A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar]]
{{div col end}}
{{portal|India|Medicine}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1960–69}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ram, Dukhan}}
[[Category:1899 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Sasaram]]
[[Category:Arya Samajis]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Bihar]]
[[Category:Bihar MLAs 1962–1967]]
[[Category:Indian ophthalmologists]]
[[Category:Indian medical academics]]
[[Category:Indian medical administrators]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian medical doctors]]
[[Category:Medical doctors from Bihar]]
[[Category:Heads of universities and colleges in India]]
[[Category:Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata]]
[[Category:Fellows of the National Academy of Medical Sciences]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in medicine]]

Dukhan Ram - Revision history

->Citation bot at 03:58, 5 November 2021