V. Shanta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
V. Shanta
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| Born | 11 March 1927 |
| Died | 19 January 2021 (aged 93) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | MBBS, MD |
| Alma mater | Madras Medical College |
| Occupation | Chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute |
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Viswanathan Shanta (born March 11, 1927 – died January 19, 2021) was an Indian doctor who specialized in cancer treatment. She was the head of the Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai. Dr. Shanta was famous for making sure that good, affordable cancer treatment was available to everyone in India.
She spent her life working to help cancer patients. This included organizing care, studying the disease, researching how to prevent and cure it, and teaching people about cancer. She also helped train many doctors and scientists in cancer care. For her amazing work, she received several important awards. These included the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Vibhushan. The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest award given to civilians by the Government of India.
Dr. Shanta worked at the Adyar Cancer Institute from 1955 until her death. She held many important jobs there, including being the director from 1980 to 1997. She was also part of several health committees, both in India and around the world. This included a committee for the World Health Organization.
Early Life and Education
Shanta was born on March 11, 1927, in Mylapore, Chennai. She came from a very smart family. Two of her relatives, C. V. Raman (her grand-uncle) and S. Chandrasekar (her uncle), even won Nobel Prizes!
She went to National Girls High School. By the time she was 12, she knew she wanted to be a doctor. She studied at Presidency College, Chennai before going to Madras Medical College. She earned her first medical degree (M.B.B.S) in 1949. She then got more advanced degrees in 1952 and 1955, specializing in women's health.
A Career Helping Others
In 1954, Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy started the Cancer Institute. At that time, Dr. Shanta had just finished her advanced medical degree. She had passed an exam that would have sent her to a women's and children's hospital. In the 1940s and 1950s, most Indian women doctors chose to work with mothers and babies. But Dr. Shanta decided to join the new Cancer Institute instead, which surprised many people.
The institute started very small. It was a 12-bed hospital in a simple building with not much equipment. There were only two doctors: Dr. Shanta and Dr. Krishnamurthi. For three years, Dr. Shanta worked without pay. Then, the institute offered her a small salary and a place to live on campus. She moved in on April 13, 1955, and lived there until she passed away in 2021.
During her more than 60 years of work, Dr. Shanta held many roles at the Cancer Institute. She was the director from 1980 to 1997. She cared deeply about how patients were treated. She believed that doctors should do more than just give medicine. They should also truly care for their patients. She created special plans to make sure patients received complete care, not just treatment.
Besides caring for patients, she also focused on training new cancer specialists and scientists. She strongly believed that finding cancer early was important. She also wanted to change how people thought about cancer. Many people were very scared and felt hopeless about the disease. Dr. Shanta did not like it when people used the word "cancer" to describe a bad or hopeless situation.
Dr. Shanta was also a member of many important groups that dealt with health and medicine. These included the World Health Organization's health committee. She was also part of the health planning group for the state of Tamil Nadu in India.
Awards and Recognition
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Dr. Shanta was chosen as a fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences. She received several high honors from the Indian government:
- The Padma Shri Award in 1986.
- The Padma Bhushan in 2006.
- The Padma Vibhushan in 2016.
In 2005, she received the Ramon Magsaysay Award. This award is often called "Asia's Nobel Prize." Dr. Shanta dedicated this award to the Cancer Institute, showing her deep love for her work there. The award praised her for her amazing service.
Later Years
Dr. Shanta passed away on January 19, 2021, at the age of 93. She had felt chest pain the night before. Even though she wanted to stay at her own institute, she was taken to a private hospital. Doctors found she had a very serious heart problem that could not be fixed.
