A photograph taken at the graduation ceremony of a batch of students that passed out in 1907 from Central College, Bangalore, is a souvenir for Dr S V Rama Rao, and rightly so.

His father, Dr Subba Rao features in this photograph, along with his contemporaries like S Rajagopal Iyengar, B K Srinivas Iyengar and M T Narasimha Iyengar, who went on to become eminent personalities. This illustrious class was headed by one Prof J Cook.

Today, an octogenarian, Dr S V Rama Rao, is a retired director, professor and head of department of the Community Health Services of St John’s Medical College. He recounts that his father who started out as an assistant to the surgeon progressed to become a surgeon, purely by his commitment for service to mankind.

Perhaps these Gandhian principles inspired him to engage in social service after retirement.

Since 1990, Dr Rao has been associated with “Deena Seva Sangha”, a non-profit organisation based on Gandhian principles of love, compassion, tolerance and self-help that serves the poor and the underprivileged. “I took up this honorary job to help the economically weaker sections of society that cannot afford treatment in the hospitals,” Dr Rao said.