IN MEMORIAM
I am grieved to inform you about the passing away of my brother-in-law Dr. Coka Mallikarjuna Rao MD
after a prolonged illness on August 12, 2013 at 1 PM (IST) at his residence at Guntur.I am personally obliged
to him for having personal interest in arranging my marriage with Indira.
Dr CM Rao had an illustrious career after being top of his class at Madras Medical College. He was decorated with governmental awards at State Level, was a sought after speaker by various district meetings, evident from the several trophies that decorated the shelves and walls of his residence.
Dr. CM Rao comes from an illustrious lineage, father being a government official and directly related to the ex Chief Justice of India, Coka Subba Rao.
His impeccable "honesty" was a house-hold name not only in the medical field but also in the villages and towns of AP. When I mentioned casually in 1990s to a few of my BENCO classmates they were amazed that I was related to him so closely. One of my Guntur class mates was attended by him for his family of three generations, his own daughter is now a professor at Guntur Medical College.
When I visited Washington, DC to collect funds for the visit of AP Chief Minister Mr. NT Rama Rao and went to the home of a famous cardiologist, and enquired him of the college he graduated and was told Guntur, I mentioned if he knew Dr. C.M. Rao who is my brother-in-law he immediately took me to his bed room and showed me a framed picture of a 'hand-written'recommendation of his teacher/guru by virtue of which he came to USA and amassed his wealth. He gave me a bounty amount for sponsoring the visit of AP CM by "TELUGU SCIENTISTS OF NORTH AMERICA".
It is not an exaggeration that Dr. C. M. Rao who was a Professor and Principal of Medical Colleges of Kurnool, Tirupathi and Guntur recommended several hundreds of his MD students during the decades of '60s to '90s in USA, and each of them are now flourishing doctors!
Perhaps he had his share of woes and sorrows in the tragic and untimely death of his IIT Graduate son Parthasarathi. However, his daughters Lakshmi and Rama, both Medical Doctors, are perhaps there to carry on his glory and fame. I sincerely feel sorry to know that my sister Sitha is bed ridden. This morning after hearing of the sad tidings, I had half-a-mind to fly there to not merely condole but also console her in the bereavement.
I recall how she courted my brother-in-law; she married her class mate Dr Rao in 1956. I distinctly remember my days at Pilani, Rajasthan where she was a medical officer and my father asked me to stay with her to recoup my health being obliged to stay way from BENCO for one year due to my sickness. I was amazed at the perfumed closed envelops she used to receive every week, of different colors each week! Being at home from morning to evening till her return the mail man used to give me the envelopes!
Strange are the ways of God, for a person who helped several of his relatives, friends and patients HONESTLY should have such a trying and enduring end.
My prayers for now are for his soul to rest in peace and have a restful place in the 'Heavenly Abode".
- KR Rao 8/12/2013
