P. K. R. Warrier
Encyclopedia
P. K. Raghava Warrier FRCS
(13 August 1921 – 26 March 2011) was a cardiothoracic surgeon
, author
and social activist from Kerala
, India
.
during the early 1940s. As a student, he was actively involved in India's freedom struggle
. It was during one of the freedom rallies in his student days that he met his future wife, Devaki Pallam, then an apprentice of Gandhi.
Having completed his undergraduate education at Madras Medical College in June 1946, he worked as a demonstrator of anatomy between July 1947 and December 1948. He remained in Madras training as an unofficial house surgeon and senior house surgeon under Dr. Mohan Rao and Dr. C.P.V. Menon at the General Hospital
between January 1949 and June 1950. Between June 1950 and August 1959, he worked as a Civil Assistant Surgeon in various government hospitals throughout South India including Coimbatore
, Cochin and Trivandrum as well as a brief stint in Minicoy Island.
Warrier then moved to London to attain his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
. After receiving the Fellowship in January 1960, he went on to receive training in cardiothoracic surgery in Stoke-on-Trent
and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
until 1962.
On returning to India, he joined as an assistant professor to Professor Raghavachari in the Department of Surgery at Trivandrum Medical College
1964. In 1964, Warrer established the Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at the Medical College. He held the position of professor and head of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery when he retired in 1977.His daughter is married by national filim award winner director Shaji N Karun
After formal retirement, he continued to work. He was Professor of Surgery at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal until 1983, Chief of Surgery at AKG Memorial Hospital, Kannur
until 1986, Surgical Consultant at Aswini Hospital, Thrissur
and Semalk Hospital, Ottappalam. In 1990, Warrier retired from all professional work, though he continues to be a prominent presence in the field.
and other prominent Communist
leaders of Kerala
. He is sympathetic to the early communist movement of Kerala
, and is opposed to government-employed doctors performing in private practise. Warrier remains a renowned figure in these circles.
. The Malayalam version first appeared as a weekly series in Deshabhimani Weekly. An expanded and rewritten English version of the book titled Experience and Perceptions was later released in 2004.
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
(13 August 1921 – 26 March 2011) was a cardiothoracic surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and social activist from Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Biography
P. K. R. Warrier, the youngest son in his family, enrolled for medical studies at Madras Medical CollegeMadras Medical College
The Madras Medical College is an educational institution located in Chennai, India. It was established on February 2, 1835. It is the oldest medical college in India, along with the Medical College Kolkata.-History:...
during the early 1940s. As a student, he was actively involved in India's freedom struggle
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
. It was during one of the freedom rallies in his student days that he met his future wife, Devaki Pallam, then an apprentice of Gandhi.
Having completed his undergraduate education at Madras Medical College in June 1946, he worked as a demonstrator of anatomy between July 1947 and December 1948. He remained in Madras training as an unofficial house surgeon and senior house surgeon under Dr. Mohan Rao and Dr. C.P.V. Menon at the General Hospital
Government General Hospital
Government General Hospital or G.G.H. is a major hospital situated in Chennai, India. The hospital is funded and managed by the state Government of Tamil Nadu; hence it is state-owned. It was founded in 1664 by the British East India Company...
between January 1949 and June 1950. Between June 1950 and August 1959, he worked as a Civil Assistant Surgeon in various government hospitals throughout South India including Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
, Cochin and Trivandrum as well as a brief stint in Minicoy Island.
Warrier then moved to London to attain his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
. After receiving the Fellowship in January 1960, he went on to receive training in cardiothoracic surgery in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham is an NHS hospital in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, situated very close to the University of Birmingham. The hospital, which cost £545 million to construct, opened in June 2010 replacing the previous Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Selly Oak Hospital...
until 1962.
On returning to India, he joined as an assistant professor to Professor Raghavachari in the Department of Surgery at Trivandrum Medical College
Trivandrum Medical College
Trivandrum Medical College is located in Thiruvananthapuram city, the capital of Kerala state, India. It was founded in 1951, and was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India. This is the oldest and most prestigious medical college in Kerala. It is being upgraded to the...
1964. In 1964, Warrer established the Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery at the Medical College. He held the position of professor and head of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery when he retired in 1977.His daughter is married by national filim award winner director Shaji N Karun
After formal retirement, he continued to work. He was Professor of Surgery at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal until 1983, Chief of Surgery at AKG Memorial Hospital, Kannur
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
until 1986, Surgical Consultant at Aswini Hospital, Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
and Semalk Hospital, Ottappalam. In 1990, Warrier retired from all professional work, though he continues to be a prominent presence in the field.
Social activism
Warrier maintained a close association with E. M. S. NamboodiripadE. M. S. Namboodiripad
Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad, , popularly known as EMS, was an Indian Communist leader and the first Chief Minister of Kerala. As the first non-Congress chief minister in independent India, he became the leader of the first democratically elected communist government in the world...
and other prominent Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
leaders of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. He is sympathetic to the early communist movement of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, and is opposed to government-employed doctors performing in private practise. Warrier remains a renowned figure in these circles.
Books
Warrier has published his autobiography in both Malayalam and EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. The Malayalam version first appeared as a weekly series in Deshabhimani Weekly. An expanded and rewritten English version of the book titled Experience and Perceptions was later released in 2004.
Awards received
- Lifetime Achievement Award instituted by the Heart Care Foundation, a charitable society.
- Dubai Art Lovers' Association Award, for his selfless contribution in the field of medicine and surgery.
- Lifetime achievement award of the Dr. K.P. Nair Foundation.