Dr Tapan Kumar Lahiri, the legendary 85 year old cardiothoracic surgeon at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), continues to be a national beacon of selfless service in 2026.
Despite his global credentials, the Padma Shri awardee has famously refused a salary since 1994 and persists in treating underprivileged patients for free at the Sir Sunderlal Hospital in Varanasi.
Recent reports and viral social media tributes confirm that Dr Lahiri still maintains his rigorous routine, living on a minimal portion of his pension while donating the surplus to a university fund for the poor.
His lifelong commitment remains a powerful counter-narrative to the commercialisation of healthcare, earning him the title of a “living saint” among the locals.
Lifelong Service
Born in Kolkata and trained in the United Kingdom, Dr Lahiri held prestigious degrees like FRCS and MCh before joining BHU in 1974.
His transition from a top tier professional to a full time philanthropist solidified in the mid 1990s when his salary crossed 1 lakh rupees; he decided then that these funds were better served purchasing medicines for those in need.
Even after his formal retirement in 2003, he accepted the role of Professor Emeritus on the condition that he would not receive any financial compensation. To this day, he resides in modest campus housing, rejecting lucrative offers from private hospitals in India and abroad to remain accessible to the marginalised.
The Saint of the OPD
Dr Lahiri’s discipline is so legendary that BHU staff often claim they set their watches by his arrival. In recent accounts from 2025 and 2026, he is still seen walking to the hospital at 6 am carrying only a simple bag and a black umbrella.
He remains unmarried, having dedicated his entire personal and professional life to his patients. His principles of equality are uncompromising; he famously declined private meetings with former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, insisting they visit him in his OPD to avoid disrupting patient care.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Dr Tapan Kumar Lahiri’s life is a profound testament to the power of one individual’s integrity in a world often driven by profit. At a time when medical bills can push families into poverty, his choice to live on two simple meals a day while saving thousands of lives is nothing short of heroic.
He embodies the true spirit of the Hippocratic Oath, proving that medicine is a calling of the heart rather than a business of the mind. His legacy challenges us to rethink our definitions of success and reminds us that true wealth is found in the lives we touch and the hope we provide to the hopeless.
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