Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c14.s4.t40: Dr Bejoy Kumar Basu
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c14.s4.t40
- Language
- English
Dr Bejoy Kumar Basu
v2.c14.s4.t40.1
Dr Bejoy Kumar Basu was a member of the Indian Medical Mission sent to China to aid the Chinese people in the War of Resistance against Japan in 1938. One of the young members of the medical mission team, he belonged to Calcutta (Kolkata); he was given the Chinese name Ba Suhua in Chinese. He was last among the five doctors to leave the Chinese soil after fulfilling the mission of providing medical
v2.c14.s4.t40.2
*Dr Benoy Kumar Basu*
v2.c14.s4.t40.3
treatment and aid to the Chinese soldiers during the War of Resistance against Japan. After the mission reached China in September, 1938, he, along with Dr Cholkar, was sent to the No. 64 Rear Hospital in Wuhan. Dr Basu worked there for a while and then went to the southeastern part of Shanxi province to work with the Eighth Route Army. Later, he was yet again shifted to Yan’an, which was the general headquarters of the Communist Party of China, to take charge of the medical facilities there.
v2.c14.s4.t40.4
After the death of his fellow doctor and dear friend Dr Kotnis in 1942, Dr Basu shouldered the entire responsibility of the Medical Mission alone. He was a man of high dedication and devotion towards his duty; his dedication and professional skill gained him enormous popularity among the Chinese people. He treated more than a hundred patients every day and was in charge of over 30 in-door patients. Due to his ability of curing patients, the local people gave him the nick-name of the “Magic Doctor”. During his stay in China, he maintained a detailed diary of his everyday events and his encounter with the Chinese patients and ordinary Chinese people. After serving the Chinese people for five long years, he started on his return journey to India in April, 1943. He was the only doctor who had the opportunity to serve through and witness the entire duration of the Indian Medical Mission’s stay in China.
v2.c14.s4.t40.5
On his return to India, in October, 1943, Dr Basu established the All India Dr Kotnis Memorial Committee. The main motive of this organisation was to commemorate Dr Kotnis and to promote the good spirit of the Indian Medical Mission to China; he wished to reinforce the harmony between India and China. By 1978, he had established more than 30 acupuncture clinics with the goal to provide cheap medical treatment to the poor people of India. Moreover, he also played a very significant role in developing India-China relations; he always bore in mind the importance of developing the relationship between the people of the two countries. To that end, he paid several visits to China, which, in turn, made a significant contribution to the friendship between India and China.
v2.c14.s4.t40.6
Dr Basu passed away in Calcutta in October, 1986. Since he considered China his second home, as desired by him, half of his ashes was buried in Shijiazhuang Martyrs Cemetery in China. Later, Atal Behari Vajpayee, when he visited China as the Minister of External Affairs of India, lauded Dr Basu as a national hero and a bridge of India-China friendship. (*Sabaree Mitra*)