Dwarkanath Kotnis Biography 
Dwarkanath Kotnis was a physician from Solapur, Maharashtra, who was one among the 5 doctors sent to China to provide medical assistance during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938. Gained attention for his dedication and service, he stood as an example for Sino-Indian friendship and collaboration. After Dr. Norman Bethune passed away, he took over the post of the first president of the Bethune International Peace Hospital. In addition to rescue the wounded, he also trained Chinese medical workers. Due to overstrain in work, illness affected him and he passed away in China on Dec. 9, 1942, aged only 32. He along with Dr. Norman Bethune are still worshipped by Chinese people and in 2005 Qingming Festival, they covered both their graves with flowers in due respect.
Dwarkanath Kotnis was born to a lower middle class family in Solapur, Maharashtra on 10 October 1910. He had 7 siblings. He completed MBBS from Seth G.S. Medical College. Following the Japanese invasion of China in 1938, the communist General Zhu De requested Jawaharlal Nehru to send some physicians to China. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose played a key role in sending 5 physicians to China, along with a collected fund of Rs 22,000. Kotnis was studying post-graduation when he was sent for the mission and he asked his family’s permission before departure. Though his father encouraged him for the noble cause, his mother was a little worried.
In 1939, at the age of 28 he reached Wuhan alongside 4 other physicians. He worked in mobile clinics for 5 years treating wounded soldiers. His work was stressful and the worse time of war in the year 1940 he worked restless for more than 72 hours conducting surgeries. In 1941, he married Guo Qinglan, a nurse whom he met at Bethune Hospital. He used to write letters to his family regularly, describing China. Due to overwork he was affected by Epilepsy which finally killed him on 9 December 1942. He was buried in Heroes Courtyard in Nanquan Village. He was survived by his wife and a son. Chinese government built a memorial hall for Dr. Kotnis in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, in 1976.
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Updated: January 18, 2016
