‘A Bird’s Eye View of the 25 years of my Journey for a Rainbow’

Calcutta, now Kolkata, was once the capital of the British Empire and its global importance was second only to London. Once Bengal was divided and the capital of India shifted to Delhi, Calcutta’s importance started to wane. Furthermore, when the leadership for the freedom movement shifted to the west and the north, the eastern part of India became a hotbed of unrest. After India secured independence, there was no effective leadership in the east. As a result, although there was progressive growth and development across India, the east lagged far behind.

As a neurosurgeon, practising in England, I came to know that the infrastructure required for neurosurgery was not available in the once great Kolkata and patients were travelling to other parts of India for their surgery they needed. As a medical graduate from Calcutta, this state of affairs affected me deeply. I contacted my colleagues, nurses, patients, and friends to help me to provide the essential development needed at home. Through this talk, the audience will travel with me through my 25 year journey in my quest for that Rainbow.

Moderator: Professor Arjune Sen, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences

Followed by a drinks reception.

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Professor Robin Sengupta OBE is Emeritus Professor of Neurosurgery and Consultant Neurosurgeon at Newcastle University, who has been dubbed ‘neurosurgeon of the millennium’ by the Indian Neurological Association. He has worked in the NHS for over 50 years, mostly in the North East, where the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation trust named one of their neurosurgical theatres in his honour. Specialising in neurovascular neurosurgery, he has pioneered brain aneurysm surgery. He was awarded an OBE and the Medal of Honour by the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons for his contributions. He is a Fellow National Academy of Science.

Prof Sengupta is the Founder Chairman of N.N.C & Institute of Neurosciences, Kolkata. His vision for delivering high quality, affordable healthcare to people in Kolkata, India, saw him establish a neurological centre which rapidly became the Best Single Specialty hospital in India for service, teaching postgraduate students and research in the field of neurology, neurosurgery and neuro-psychiatry. His desire to improve treatment for Kolkata’s poorest people affected by neurological illness led him to set up the Institute of Neurosciences-Kolkata. This hospital was built with donations from around the world and he has given most of his life-savings to this project.