Mysuru: ‘The life of great personalities and achievers should be an inspiration to present generation,’ said Vidyavardhaka College retired faculty Prof. G. Chandrashekar. He was speaking after conferring ‘Dr. C.N. Mruthyunjayappa Adarsha Vaidya Seva’ award on Dr. Prema Dhanraj, a retired faculty of Bengaluru’s Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Director of Bengaluru’s Agniraksha Samsthe at a programme held under the joint aegis of Mysuru City and District Unit of Akhila Bharatha Sharana Sahitya Parishat and Kadali Mahila Vedike, Mysuru, at Sri Rajendra Bhavan, JSS Hospital premises on Oct. 19.

Pointing out that those who are in the social field do their work silently, Prof. Chandrashekar said, however, in most cases, the good works will not come to light as achievers do not speak much. But their work will make a noise in the society, he said adding that the achievements of personalities should be documented for posterity.

Stating that the life of Padma Shri awardee Dr. Prema is itself an inspiring story, he said Prema is a remarkable woman who did her Medicine degree after recovering from burn injuries.

“Dr. Prema’s journey right from her Medical education to receiving Padma Shri  was not a smooth one. She sustained severe burn injuries in a kerosene stove blast at her house in Bengaluru decades ago, when she was immediately rushed to a Hospital, where she underwent treatment for a month. Later, she was shifted to Vellore Medical College, where the doctors had initially expressed doubts about her survival. But Prema’s will and determination enabled her to recover faster and later did her Medical course braving the odds,” he said.

Speaking after receiving the award given in memory of Dr.  Mruthyunjayappa, a doctor (MBBS) by profession and an environmentalist-cum-plant grafting expert by passion, Dr. Prema said one should not build his/her life by looking at their neighbours. ‘We can achieve success in life only through our sheer talent. Dedication and determination coupled with constant efforts are key for achieving success both in their chosen profession and life,’ she added.

Award donor Sudha Mruthyunjayappa, University of Mysore Visiting faculty Prof. C. Naganna, Kadali Mahila Vedike President Sharada Shivalingaswamy, Sharana Sahitya Parishat City Unit President M.G. Sadanandaiah, District President Helavarahundi Siddappa, former District Kannada Sahitya Parishat President M. Chandrashekar and others were present on the occasion.