By Dr Nagarjun Rao HT

Mangaluru, Jul 6: Dr Manorama Rao H T lovingly called Manaunty left to her heavenly abode or put by someone close to her - to become a star. Yes, she was a star, a superstar to many students, doctors, patients and family.

Born in 1936 in Mangaluru and married at a very early age of 16, she lost her husband immediately after marriage and at a time when widowed women were not even looked at.

Dr Manorama rose and shone against tremendous odds not only to become one of the greatest doctors and teachers of all time, but also to inspire many generations of doctors amongst her family, her friends and amongst her students.

The life of Dr Manorama is an inspiration beyond description. Married and widowed at a young age, Dr Manorama retained the H T family surname held by her father late HT Shridhar Rao.

Eldest among 13 children and facing multiple adversities due to difficult financial conditions and hostilities due to the social stigma of being a widowed woman, Dr Manorama did her MBBS from Stanley Medical College in 1956 and MD obstetrics and gynaecology from Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam.

During this time, she was supported financially by her younger sister Dr Kausalya Rao who worked as a teacher to make ends meet for the education of Dr Manorama and for the family expenses. With her sister's support, Dr Manorama finished her studies ensuring Dr Kausalya finish her medical education. The duo has been like an image and its shadow till the end, inspiring entire generations of doctors within and outside the family. Dr Manorama epitomises the true definition of female empowerment.

With a keen interest in teaching, Dr Manorama Rao was famous for knowing every single student and patient by their name. With a photogenic memory, every student and patient's detail was at the tip of her tongue. This was the level of involvement of Dr Manorama with her patients who she considered as her second family.

Another incident of her magic was during the current admission a few days before her demise, she identified a patient by her name. The patient had consulted a few years back and Dr Manorama remembered the patient and her treatment in detail. She always had magic in everything she did.

An example to define her spirit, enthusiasm and the teacher within her was a difficult case of rectocele and cystocele which had to undergo surgery and on her 89th birthday, Dr Manorama came to the hospital with the usual charisma with a textbook in her hand and taught the entire team how the surgery is done laparoscopically. The patient was discharged on the third postoperative day. Teaching that difficult case to the team and ensuring the success of the team was the best birthday present to the adept doctor.

One would describe the demise of Dr Manorama as the end of a large old tree that lived 90 years from whose roots and branches have emerged generations of doctors in the form of thousands and thousands of students.

She was the longest-serving head of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at Lady Goschen Hospital and KMC Mangaluru.

It is next to impossible to find the fine line that distinguishes her from a doctor, teacher or magician or as the big large tree. Some would call her 'The Iron Lady', but her loss has definitely left a lacuna within the family and within the entire medical community which cannot be filled.

All her well-wishers are thanked for their heartfelt condolences.