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OBITUARY |
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| Year : 2023 | Volume
: 44
| Issue : 1 | Page : 107-108 |
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Dr. Guntur Chandrasekhara Rao M. D. D. V. Treasurer IASSTD and AIDS 1975-2022
T Ram Manohar Rao1, P Elangovan2, Mohankumar Vethanayagam3
1 Past President and Secretary of IASSTD and AIDS, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
2 Past President and Secretary of IASSTD and AIDS, Professor, Department of DVL, Chettinad Medical College Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
3 Secretary of IASSTD and AIDS, Associate Professor, Department of DVL, Government Erode Medical College, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India
| Date of Submission | 30-Jan-2023 |
| Date of Decision | 02-Feb-2023 |
| Date of Acceptance | 03-Feb-2023 |
| Date of Web Publication | 06-Jun-2023 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Mohankumar Vethanayagam
Government Erode Medical College, Perundurai, Erode, Tamil Nadu
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijstd.ijstd_8_23
How to cite this article:
Manohar Rao T R, Elangovan P, Vethanayagam M. Dr. Guntur Chandrasekhara Rao M. D. D. V. Treasurer IASSTD and AIDS 1975-2022. Indian J Sex Transm Dis 2023;44:107-8 |
How to cite this URL:
Manohar Rao T R, Elangovan P, Vethanayagam M. Dr. Guntur Chandrasekhara Rao M. D. D. V. Treasurer IASSTD and AIDS 1975-2022. Indian J Sex Transm Dis [serial online] 2023 [cited 2023 Sep 30];44:107-8. Available from: https://ijstd.org/text.asp?2023/44/1/107/378143 |
Dr. Guntur Chandrasekhara Rao M. D. D. V. was born on June 4, 1945, in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. He qualified for M.B.B.S. in 1969 from Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada Andhra Pradesh University and D.V. 1973, M.D. (Venereology) 1977 at the Institute of Venereology, Madras Medical College, and University of Madras under the guidance of worldwide famous stalwarts of Venereology, Dr. P. N. Rangiah, and Dr. C. N. Sowmini. He received the Dr. C. W. Chacko (the great international serologist) prize for the Best Candidate passed in the University Examination in M.D. Venereology 1976–1977.
He was one of the founder members of the Indian Association for the Study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (IASSTDs) and was Treasurer from inception to 2022 and as an Executive Member in 2022–2023. He was actively involved in the registration of the association under section 10 of the Act with Registrar of Societies, Chennai, during the early years of HIV and AIDS in 1993, for changing the name of the Association to IASSTD and AIDS and this has also been registered under the above society. He was also instrumental in starting the IASSTD Journal along with Dr. C. N. Sowmini, Dr. Sardarilal, and Dr. K. N. Gopalan. The following renowned faculty all over the country associated with our founder treasurer as President of IASSTD and AIDS were Dr. B. S. Verma, Dr. J. K. Maniar, Dr. N. C. Bhargava, Dr. D. K. Gupta, Dr. R. K. Pandhi, Dr. P. K. Dharmalingam, Dr. Rishi K. Bhargava, Dr. Vijay Bushanam, Dr. Bhushan Kumar, Dr. A. K. Bajaj, Dr. Gopal B Mukherjee, Dr. G. C. Saha, Dr. M. Ashok Babu, Dr. T. Ram Manohar Rao, Dr. V. K. Sharma, Dr. Usha Gupta, Dr. Y. S. Marfatia, Dr. Kalyan Banerjee, Dr. D. M. Thappa, Dr. N. Usman, Dr. Maj. Genl. A. K. Jaiswal, Dr. Vijay Kumar Jain, Dr. V. S. Dorairaj, Dr. Dinesh C Govil, Dr. Lt. Col. Nitin S. Walia, Dr. B. Loganathan, Dr. R. N. Dutta, Dr. K. Mahadevan, Dr. K. Venkateswaran, Dr. P. Elangovan, Dr. Somesh Gupta, Dr. S. Murugan, Dr. Satyadarshi Patnaik, and Dr. V. R. Krishnamoorthy, Dr. P. K. Dharmalingam, Dr. R. Parasuraman, Dr. T. Ram Manohar Rao, Dr. B. Loganathan, Dr. K. Venkateswaran, Dr. P. Elangovan, Dr. S. Arun Kumar, and Dr. V. Mohankumar were associated as Secretary of the association.
He was the recipient of the prestigious Award of Excellence for the exemplary services rendered to IASSTD and AIDS and the profession on November 3, 2004, at Jabalpur 28th National Conference of IASSTD and AIDS along with eight senior founder dignitaries indistinguishable with his stature Dr. S. Bhanuverma, Dr. N. C. Bhargava, Dr. K. N. Gopalan, Dr. D. K. Gupta, Dr. Joshi John, Dr. J. K. Maniar, Dr. C. C. Mohanram, and Dr. Rishi K. Bhargava.
Apart from our association, he was an active member of the Indian Medical Association Chennai South Branch, the IMA Academy of Medical Specialities, and the Council of Sex Education and Parenthood (International). He was the course coordinator for sexually transmitted infection course conducted by IASSTD and AIDS and COTTISA and was actively involved in sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS control programs along with various nongovernmental organizations. He received the Award of Appreciation on Doctors Day at the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu in 2019.
Dr. G. Chandrasekhara Rao published his study on minocycline in the treatment of lymphogranuloma venereum in the Journal of the American Venereal Disease Association (1976)[1] and Comparative Clinical Trial of Ampicillin and Ampicillin with Probenecid as a single dose for uncomplicated gonorrhea in IJSTD (1983).
Dr. Y. S. Marfatia, Chief Editor IJSTD and AIDS, (2007–2022) in his parting remarks as editor, confirmed the excellency of Dr. G. Chandrasekhara Rao's service as “Throughout my tenure of 16 years as the chief editor, I was always supported and appreciated by office bearers of IASSTD and AIDS. Positive feedback from colleagues was a great source of strength. The one name I cannot afford to forget to mention is Dr. G. Chandrasekhara Rao, our beloved and four-decades-old treasurer. He was a great support in financial matters and in regularly providing an updated list of members.”[2] Dr. N. Usman, Past President, always quotes so many examples about Dr. G. Chandrasekhara Rao's watchful behavior of going only by the bylaws and rules of associations, for financial and running issues of the association since from the days of our Parton Dr. C. N. Sowmini. It is evident in his trustworthy accounting, documentation of every penny, and details of the members then and there.
As a founder treasurer, he had an immense commitment, consistency, and meticulous working culture, developing the team with seniors and younger generations, motivating all to grow up, sharing responsibility on his shoulders, and giving honors and appreciation for others in the needed time, updating with time and technology then and there. Dr. G. Chandrasekhara Rao, a man of principles, was the most imperious permanent pillar of our association, soft spoken, approachable, courteous, assertive, firm outer and soft heart, believed in discipline, and always met us with a lot of affection and always helpful, well-wisher, guide, Godfather of our association, an Icon in his style of working for the IASSTD and AIDS, always quoting the constitution if required and helping all with a calm smiling face.
It is the history, no one holding responsibility as Treasurer for four decades continuously, participated in all the national conferences of the association from inception and broken the world record as the longest continues office bearer of an association. Dr. G. Chandrasekhara Rao was blessed with the future forecast, his contributions are older than many members of the association, quiet, ever-helpful person always there with any information or advice required. His passion and selfless dedication to the specialty and association are unparalleled. He chose this year to pass on the baton uncanny, in the 46th National Conference of IASSTD and AIDS, ASTICON Hyderabad 2022, September 9 to 11, due to his intuitions and cited his aging issues, meticulously hand over the responsibility to Dr. Mahalingam Periasamy, all of us wonder how nicely he dropped all his responsibility like a peaceful landing of a flight.
Dr. G. Chandrasekhara Rao had interaction with office bearers until January 12, 2023, regarding the clarifications about website updates and Kolkata ASTICON 2023, is noble, humble, magnanimous, adapting with up to date with scientific learnings as a perennial learner last breath. Dr. G. Chandrasekhara Rao lived a complete life and reached his abode on January 13, 2023. We will miss him deeply; but every time, we think of him, we will be reminded that he came down to our level and made us feel at home and feel his love. He will live always in the minds of all the members of our association, we are grateful for the exceptional services rendered to the IASSTD and AIDS.
Dr. G. Chandrasekhara Rao, a great human being, sincere, a workaholic, and dedicated in his responsibility as Treasurer, always guided us by his soft and humble nature and should be firmly in all his activities of the association. His sudden demise is a colossal loss to our association. May his pious soul rest in eternal peace!
 Acknowledgment | |  |
On behalf of the association IASSTD and AIDS, we are submitting our indebted thanks to all the members and office bearers for sharing their bonding with our Dr. G. Chandrasekhara Rao sir.
| References | | |
| 1. | Sowmini CN, Gopalan KN, Rao GC. Minocycline in the treatment of lymphogranuloma venereum. J Am Vener Dis Assoc 1976;2:19-22.  |
| 2. | Marfatia YS. Parting remarks from the outgoing editor. Indian J Sex Transm Dis 2022;43:115-6. [Full text] |
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