Dr. Siddheswar Mukhopadhaya was a legendary doctor of village Garalgacha, Hooghly. His date of birth is 11.11.11. “11cube is my date of birth ` -- He used to say in several meetings. On the 11th. November, 1911 he was born at Garalgacha in the District of Hooghly. He was the eldest of three sons of Mohit kumar Mukhopadhaya and Surabala Devi. His father was an employee of Lloyds Bank , Calcutta.
In boyhood Siddheswar was a very clever, witty, and dare - devil boy . He was a good football player also. He was a student of Garalgacha High School. He passed Matriculation from this school.
He passed M.B from Carmichael Medical College ( at present it is known as R.G.Kar Medical College ) under Calcutta University. He got the Hemlata Dasi Gold medal for proficiency in Opthalmology. In 1936 after completing internship he started practice. He was a direct student of Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, who had requested him to serve the people of village Garalgacha and surroundings. He fulfilled Dr. Roy’s expectation till the last day of his life. He passed away on 2ndApril,1985. Actually he died in harness.
He used to start daily routine of treating patients from 9 A.M.and ended his treatment on the next day at 2 A.M.when he went to bed after reading books and journals.
Again he got up at 5 A.M.and started daily worship of guardian deity of family reading the Gita and the Chandi.
He regularly treated the patients from the first to the last one with same earnestness, interest, attention and devotion. Everyday he treated more than 200 patients. Only Rs 5 ( Rupees five ) was his fee for medical treatment of every patient. As a senior Doctor he accepted Rs.5 only the junior Doctors of the area were compelled to accept the same fee. At present we could not imagine such a lower rate of treatment fee.
He opened an X-Ray Unit, Pathology unit, used E.C.G machine, and started other necessary modern medical techniques in his chamber at his residence at Garalgacha. From all parts of the District of Hooghly and neighbouring districts patients used to come here at Garalgacha. He was worshipped as God by the patients, who only wanted his healing touch. He had interest for photography also. Very often he used to take photographs of the people of Garalgacha and village sceneries. He purchased one Movie Camera.
In 1950 he constructed School building and started one School in the name of his mother Surabala Devi for the students of Garalgacha and neighbouring villages. Now Surabala Vidyamandir is a Madhyamik School upto class X. He regularly studied medical Journals and Books such as, British Medical Journal, Journal of Applied Medicine, The Practitioner, The Antiseptic, Readers’ Digest, Illustrated Weekly, Year Book of Drug Therapy,Medical Times, The Clinicians, The British Encyclopaedia of Medical Practice, The Journal of Indian Medical Association, The Gita, The Chandi.
In his last life he was associated with Garalgacha Science Club, a Scince Organisation established in 1972 for culture of science and to create science consciousness among the people of Garalgacha and neighbouring villages. Garalgacha Science club is the first science club in our state, West Bengal. Dr. Mukhopadhaya served the patients without any fee in the two medical Units of Garalgacha Science Club ( at Garalgacha and Ekloki ). He was the Chief Patron of G.S.C. In several meetings of Science Club He advised the members for serving the poor people for setting up Cooperative Stores for medicines and for removing prejudices in the Society. The G.S.C is going to observe the birth day centenary of Dr.Siddheswar Mukhopadhaya throughout the year starting from 11th.November,2011 at Garalgacha.
Really he was not only a good Doctor( general physician) but also a good social worker, an educationist, a humanitarian, a Science lover, a man devoted to mother, industrious individual, and a man with a great heart.
Last but not the least, we feel proud that such a man
like him lived with us.
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