Mysuru:  Many people paid rich tributes to patient-friendly doctor, writer and art patron late Dr. Bellipadi Satish Rai,  at a solemn function held at Ave Maria Golden Jubilee auditorium at Teresian College in Siddarthanagar here yesterday. Satish Rai died recently.

Speaking on the occasion, film producer and entrepreneur Sudhakar Bhandari opined that Vaidyo Narayanahari was a befitting description to Dr. Rai because he was really like God for the poor people who could not afford costly treatment.

He recalled that Dr. Satish Rai was very good in Sanskrit shlokas and had learnt Ayurveda medicine too, both from his (Rai) father while he was living in the village. He added that Dr. Satish Rai had prepared his own special medicine combining Allopathy and Ayurveda especially for the patients of chikungunya and dengue and gave the formula to some of his doctor friends so that they could in turn give this medicine to their poor patients and help them.

Paying tributes to Dr. Satish Rai, Editor-in-Chief of Star of Mysore K.B. Ganapathy recalled his long association with the doctor both as a friend and a patient. In these days where family doctors avoid visiting their disabled patients or patients in severe condition at their houses, Dr. Satish Rai would willingly go to the patient to their houses and treat them. That was the noblest quality Dr. Satish Rai had as a medical practitioner, he said.  

He said that the news of Dr. Rai’s passing away was too shocking for him adding that the doctor was a multi-faceted person and a role model for all family doctors. That was his legacy, said Ganapathy.

IPS officer Dr. Dharanidevi Malagatti said that Dr. Satish Rai had excelled himself both in the field of medicine and literature with many books to his credit specially the translation of Bhagavad Gita into Kannada. She hailed Dr. Rai as a straight forward person with full of humility.

Music Director Gurukiran, recalling his association with Dr. Rai as a family friend, said that Dr. Rai had made the medical profession truly noble defying commercialisation. Sister Mores of Teresian College recalled the medical service of Dr. Rai to the students of the college.

Divinity in ‘Garuda’

Another close associate of Dr. Satish Rai retired IPS officer L. Revanasiddaiah said that Dr. Rai used to worship a ‘Garuda’ bird which used to come daily between 6.30 am and 7 am since 1992 and sit on the branch of tree in front of his house. Dr. Rai would come out of his house and offer prayers to the bird.

Revanasiddaiah said surprisingly he was told that the bird stopped coming to the doctor’s house after his death.  He also recalled how his school-going daughter was wrongly diagnosed by a famous city doctor who told him that the girl was suffering from tuberculosis.

“He had prescribed a series of injections which could be taken at home and when I got Dr. Satish Rai to my house for administering these injections, the doctor refused after examining the patient and said that my daughter was not suffering from tuberculosis. This saved my daughter from becoming deaf if those injections were given,” said Revanasiddaiah.

Telugu writer Lakshmi Parvathi (wife of former Andhra CM N.T. Rama Rao) recalled her long association with the family of Dr. Satish Rai and condoled his passing away so suddenly.

Earlier, Dr. Rai’s wife Asha Rai, son Dasharath Rai, granddaughter Aditi Rai, Sister Chinnaveni Rai, brother-in-law Dr. Mohandas Shetty and others offered floral tributes to a portrait of Dr. Satish Rai. Former MLA Vasu, entrepreneur Sudhakar Shetty, retired Police Officer Basavaraj Malagatti and others were present.

At Vijaya Vittala College

Karavali Yakshagana Kendra (KYK), Mysuru, Dakshina Kannada Zilla Sangha and Innovative Mysore together had organised a programme at Vijaya Vittala College in Saraswathipuram here this morning to pay tributes to late Dr. Satish Rai. Floral tributes were paid to a portrait of Dr. Satish Rai.

Yakshagana exponent G.S. Bhatta, KYK Secretary Raja G. Kanchan, artistes Jagadish Hebbar, DK Sangha President Sreenivasa Rao and others spoke about Dr. Satish Rai.