Padma Bhushan Dr. Suresh Advani
TSW Citation
Padma Bhushan – famous Sindhi Oncologist – Pioneer of Hematopoietic stems cell transplantation in India
“Instead of being satisfied to wait for conditions to be perfect it always better to take action for changing the condition to be perfect. “
Certainly, I will choose the above if I asked to describe Dr. Suresh Advani in just one line. You might be surprised to learn that his life gets the starting with pains as he was born on 01 August 1947 at Karachi and within no time family was forced to migrate to India because of partition of the country. Family of Suresh Hariram Advani settled at Ghatkopar Mumbai, but the nature keeps its testing process on for the newly born baby, as Suresh at the age of 8 was attacked by Polio.
Biography: Padma Bhushan Dr. Suresh H Advani
Physically challenged status didn’t prove a hurdle for Suresh, he completed his schooling from a Sindhi medium school at Ghatkopar, Mumbai and become graduate from the Somaiya College. He decided to gain a professional degree from Grand Medical College but this was not a smooth process as at initial stage he was refused for admission just because of his physically challenged status. This was the determination of Suresh, which was boosted high during his talks with doctors, who were providing treatment for Polio attack on him, that finally he got admission for M.B.B.S. Actually, these talks, do remember in those day there were very less facilities available in India for treatment of diseases like Polio, inspired Suresh decided to be a helping hand for the suffering humanity.
After completing M.D. in General Medicine he opted for Oncology a branch of medicine for which a few facilities were available in the country. He went on to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre, Seattle, Washington, USA, where he got chance to work with 1990’s Nobel Prize winner Dr. E Donnall Thomas, who is famous as the father of bone-marrow transplantation.
Dr Suresh Advani has fame of being pioneer in establishing Bone Marrow Transplantation set up in India. He is the first Oncologist of country who successfully transplanted bone marrow into a nine-year-old girl down with myeloid leukaemia from her brother.
Dr. Suresh Advani is the Director of Cancer Department, Jaslok Hospital Mumbai and Chairman of Cancer Department, Raheja Hospital Mumbai. Besides working at Tata Memorial Hospital, Dr Suresh Hariram Advani also worked as the chief investigator for acute Lymphoblastic leukaemia project supported by National Cancer Institute Washington and chronic Lymphatic project supported by Department of science and Technology. He and his wife Geeta are heading an NGO Helping Hands which provides Holistic Cancer Care.
Dr. Suresh Advani Awards
2002: Prestigious Dhanvantri Award and Padma Shri
2005: Lifetime Achievement in Oncology by Harvard Medical International and Dr. BC Roy National Award by Medical Council of India.
2012: Padma Bhushan
2014: Rashtriya Kranti veer Award
Famous and popular Sindhi folk singer Bhagwanti Navani is eventually immortal as she even after losing the physical existence still alive at hearts of thousands and thousands of Sindhi music lovers. Often called as Sindhi Koyel Bhagwanti was born on 01 Feb 1940 at Nasarpur. Undisputed queen of Singing Sindhi Lada (marriage ritual songs) Bhagwanti will always be remembered for singing Sukhamani Sahib (Guru Bani) in Sindhi. She also acted in Sindhi film Sindhua Je Kinare. On 22 Oct 1986 she left for heavenly abode.