REMEMBRANCE: Glowing tributes paid to Rai Bahadur Jodhamal Kothiala
Author(s): Arvind SharmaDr. Madhu Chaudhary, Additional Director (Admn.) garlanding the bust of Rai Bahadur Jodhamal Kothiala at Tanda on Friday. City Air News photo: Arvind Sharma Dharamsala, November 23, 2012: Glowing tributes were paid...
Dharamsala, November 23, 2012: Glowing tributes were paid to Rai Bahadur Jodhamal Kothiala on the occasion of his 131st birth anniversary in the premises of Tanda Medical College today.
Among others, Dr. Anil Chauhan, Principal, Dr. Madhu Chaudhary, Additional Director (Admn) Faculty, staff and students of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College gathered in huge numbers in front of the statue of Rai Bahadur Jodhamal in the park in College Campus and paid tributes to the great soul by offering flowers.
Tanda Medical College is known to masses due to Aman Katchroo Ragging episode.
But few knew the person who donated this precious land for medical purposes. The medical college situated over a hillock on the banks of Ramganga near Kangra Town,15 kms from Dharamsala was once the property of one Rai Bahadur Jodhamal Kothiala. Kothiala donated this land peace to (than) Punjab Government to give medical facilities to TB patients of the area. Now, this land is being developed as one of the super speciality medical college of its kind in the North India.
The land donor Rai Bahadur Jodhamal was remembered by the officials of the health services of Himachal on Friday at Tanda Himachal on his 131st birth anniversary.
Rai Bahadur Jodhamal was born on November 23, 1881 in Haroli Village of Princely Estate called Kuthiala presently situated in District Una. He donated 650 Kanal land situated in Tanda, District Kangra to the government for the purpose of construction of a TB Sanatorium. The foundation stone of this Sanatorium was laid down by then Governor of Punjab, Chandu Lal Trivedi on October 28, 1952 and was inaugurated by the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad on May 21, 1958, on whose name it was named Dr. Rajendra Prasad TB Sanatorium.
This Sanatorium was upgraded to Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College on October 23, 1996 and then to Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital when the Medical College Hospital was shifted to the campus from Dharamshala. The same Institute is going to be a Super specialized Institute in very near future for which the construction has already started and appointments of many Super specialists has been done.
Rai Bahadur Jodhamal died on October 9, 1961.