Professor Prem Kumar Chhajed (1945–2019)

Professor Dr. Prem Kumar Chhajed ([Fig. 1]), aged 74 years, merged in the divine on June 20, 2019. He lived the most spiritual life, both professionally and socially.

Dr. Prem Kumar Chhajed

Dr. Chhajed was born in a simple god-loving family in 1945 in Bijainagar, a small town in Rajasthan. After completing his school at Govt. College, Ajmer, he chose medicine as his career and joined Rabindranath Tagore Medical College at Udaipur. This medical college was then in its infancy stage where he graduated in 1967 and postgraduated in 1971. He continued to serve his alma mater as a teacher until he joined Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) at Chandigarh in 1975. After completing MCh in 1977, he went on to serve as a Plastic Surgery Specialist at Kerman, Iran.

His love for his homeland and it’s rich culture brought him back to India in 1981. He joined Sawai Man Singh Medical College at Jaipur, as an assistant professor in the then newly opened Plastic Surgery unit. He served people there for 22 long years and retired in 2003 as a Professor and the Head of Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit.

After retirement, he joined Apex Hospitals at Jaipur and served as a part of Smile Train program to treat cleft lip and palate patients. During his career, he participated in numerous conferences and published, several scientific papers in international/national medical journals. He was also a regular speaker at broadcast media (both television and radio) to increase the awareness on plastic surgery and burns.

Dr. Chhajed was an ardent follower of the philosophy of Jainism and conscientiously practiced it in his thoughts and actions. He was strict vegetation too.

His love and care towards his mother, along with a lifetime of spiritual practice, was the reason he retired in 2016 from the life of a plastic surgeon and became a full-time caretaker for his beloved mother.

Battling a short illness, in June 2019, Dr. Chhajed finally merged with the divine on June 20, 2019. He has left his wife Dr. Azad Chhajer, son Sidhartha, and daughter Pragya behind him.

He led a very lively yet a simple life without any worldly desires. He was very fond of reading and travelling. He constantly helped the needy with a smile on his face. He was an inspiration to many people professionally and also to his family and friends.

He has played his part in carrying forward the discipline through the residents he taught and through those who loved him so much.