Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 31: Dr Kundan Lal Chowdhury, a renowned physician, writer, founder member of Panun Kashmir (PK) and Shriya Bhat Medical mission breathed his last in USA today. He was 80. He is survived by his wife Dr Leela Chowdhury and two daughters.
Born in Srinagar, Kashmir in 1941 a medical graduate (MBBS) from Punjab University and postgraduate (MD) from Delhi University he did his fellowship in Neurology from London. He was son of J.L. Chowdhury an eminent criminal lawyer of his times.
He started his career as a faculty member in Medical College, Srinagar, as a clinician, teacher and researcher, rose to become a professor, and pioneered Neurology as a specialty in the Medical College.
In 1990 he moved to Jammu along with his community, and started charitable work by organizing the displaced doctors of KP Community and provided free medical care to thousands in the migrant camps. Thereafter he started Shirya Bhat Mission Hospital and Research Center which provides free multi-specialty consultation and treatment to the poor and indigent patients and conducts medical camps, surveys and research. He conducted pioneering work on the Health Trauma of the displaced populations and coined new syndromes like “Stress Diabetes”, “Psychological Syndromes of exiles”, “The 10-12 Syndrome”, “The metabolic syndrome in ‘migrant’ camp inmates” etc. and highlighted the adverse effects of stress of environmental and lifestyle changes on a displaced population. He held 123 Medical camps from 1990 to 2020 on different diseases in migrant camps and other areas of Jammu province where he provided free medical care. Even just before five days of his death he was providing the online consultation to the people.
Dr. Chowdhury was engaged in multifarious activities as a medical professional, social scientist, journalist, poet and writer. Besides, he was a political thinker who wrote “Why Homeland”. He also gave the concept of City State for Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley. He was a staunch believer of Homeland for KPs and was also the vice president of PK for 15 years. Besides, he was chairman of Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora and KMECT.
Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh has expressed profound grief and sorrow over the demise of Dr Chowdhury and termed his death a great loss to medical fraternity and people. In his condolence message to his family, he said Dr Chowdhury was a well known Physician, an author who also led for the cause of his community after his displacement in 1990. All KP organizations have also expressed profound grief over his demise.
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