The passing away of Dr BC Harinath evokes so many memories.

He came to Sevagram in 1970, fresh with a PhD in Biochemistry from the USA. Sevagram was a small village then and young Harinath had trouble adjusting to Sevagram. The first batch of medical students had arrived only a year ago and Dr Harinath faced the challenge of designing, developing and nurturing his department. He painstakingly did it, building up the department almost brick by brick and developing a strong research culture in the institute.

His devotion to the filarial field was unwavering. With a conviction in the unmatched power of research in biochemistry, he embraced the challenge rather than being unnerved by it and converted it into an opportunity. He went on to establish a lab of his own—one which would go on to be supportive and nurturing, fostering good science by focusing on first filariasis, and later TB.

Almost single handedly he did phenomenal research on Filariasis and placed the Biochemistry at MGIMS prominently on the national map. He was able to coax, cajole and convince Dr Sushila Nayar— she ran MGIMS between 1969 and 2000— to invest in his department. Soon, not only he acquired equipment for teaching and research but went on to entice many young Biochemistry postgraduates to join his department, work on filaria and obtain PhDs.

Dr Harinath lived, grew and operated in a world that was—and continues to be—complex, crowded and competitive. A world where contacts matter more than talent; a world where politics often drives science to the back seat. And yet, Dr Harinath was able to not just stand apart from his peers, scientists and researchers but went on to show that despite working from a small village, he was able to generate, and publish high-quality research in reputed international journals— research that earned him highest accolades from fans and connoisseurs.

A prolific academic mentor, Dr Harinath created a generation of filarial biologists. He brought his PhD and MD students together as part of a massive research family. For them, and the postdocs who continued to work with him, Dr Harinath was an engaging, indeed inspirational, research mentor. Fascinated by filaria, Dr Harinath not only explored its intricacies, but went on to establish an outstanding basic research department at MGIMS, a department that would inspire innovative research in Sevagram. Generations of medical students at MGIMS equated Biochemistry with research—and many believed that Biochemistry was the only department in Sevagram where research thrived. Thus, when medical students applied for ICMR short term research studentships, they looked no farther than Biochemistry lab to soak their feet in research.

Dr MVR Reddy and Dr GBKS Prasad were the two early birds. He got them from Sri Venkateswara University, Telangana. They all worked extremely hard to design, implement and publish research on filariasis. He also conducted numerous workshops on immunodiagnostics in Biochemistry which became extremely popular among the medical schools in the country.

Dr Harinath, our alumni might recall, also served as the MGIMS dean. A man who spoke English with a distinct Telugu accent and the one who hardly knew Marathi or Hindi, he established himself in Sevagram, earning huge awe from his staff, colleagues and those who mattered. He was a loner— assiduously keeping himself off gossip, and petty talks. At times I felt that he was more interested in the mosquitos and the diseases they transmitted than the human beings!

He developed an immunoassay for the diagnosis of filariasis and aptly named it SEVAFILACHEK, the first four alphabets belong to the village where he had spent five decades of his life.

Although outwardly Dr Harinath often looked impatient and impetuous— his bursts of temper were well-known on campus— deep within he was an impassioned scientist who ate, drank, breathed, and dreamed of research. Few people who had ever met him could forget his words. He was a consummate biochemist and a demanding advisor; his students were fully aware of commitment to excellence and his impatience for wasted time.

Dr Harinath was a workaholic, a perfectionist. Not afraid to call a spade a spade, he would spare no one if the work was not done, the way he wanted. Perfectionist personified, he was obsessed with research and relentlessly assembled a bunch of PhD students in the department, who would also take pride in publishing the papers. To MVR Reddy and GBKS Prasad— I am forgetting a few others— he was a role model and a fatherly figure. Not only did he mentor them, but also built their careers and contributed immensely in their professional growth. He guided dozens of scholars to do their PhDs in the department— to name just a few: P Kaliraj, P Rama Prasad, Kumud Parkhe, I Kharat, Ashok Malhotra, V Chenthamarakshan, K Cheirmaraj and later L Jena.

I would often visit his department and lend a patient ear to him, listening to his ideas, plans, and thoughts. I would not always agree with his views— his biases and prejudices would often colour his arguments. Evidently he had fallen in love with the tests he had designed and would take umbrage against anyone who would criticize his findings. But his passion was unmistakable. Undeterred by the criticisms, he would go on.

On Dussehra days, our entire family would visit his home to pay respect to him and Mrs. Vimala, his wife. We were greatly touched by their warmth and hospitality. Two decades ago, when Mrs. Harinath underwent knee joint replacement surgery at Sevagram, he allowed the orthopedicians and physicians to decide what they felt was in her best interest—never questioning their plans. Never once did he let his status cloud their decision making.

After serving MGIMS as the department head, director JBTDRC, and dean, Dr Harinath continued as emeritus professor. He refused to accept a small honorarium offered to him, arguing that he valued his work more than money. In the evening of his long inning at MGIMS, he had developed a huge interest in Yoga, Naturopathy, and Herbal medicines, He invited the Jain group from Jalgaon to plant Amla trees on a 15-acre farm behind Boy’s hostel.

He began to discover the carbon, hydrogen and oxygen molecules he worked with in his labs in the samplings he planted, the plants that he watered, the shrubs that flowered and the trees that bore fruit. We watched him evolve from a hard-core scientist to a nature-loving believer in the healing powers of holistic healthcare. We could not believe our eyes seeing this change, and could hardly conceal amused expressions on our faces but the subtle changes were palpable and visible too.

His fascination with trees would often make me joke—“You have moved a full circle: from Bio-chemi-stry to Tree.” And he would almost fall off his chair, laughing heartily at this play of words.

Dr Harinath spent the last few years of his life in Tirupati, alongside his wife. His love for humanity grew. Many are not aware that he donated nine acres of exorbitantly expensive land adjacent to IIT ,Tirupati to fund an orphanage. He is survived by his wife, and two children, Ashok and Anil.

Dr Harinath’s passing away makes me feel sad. When Dr MVR Reddy left us suddenly on 9 April 2017, we cried. We were shattered. And so was Dr Harinath— to him MVR was almost a child protégé whom he groomed and whose professional growth he would take great pride in. Suddenly, we find the Biochemistry department so desolate. Destiny stole Reddy surreptitiously from us. Today Dr Harinath has also gone to another world. But can destiny ever pilfer the precious moments that we shared all our lives? Life ends, but the memories live, forever.

End of an era.