Dr. Vijaykumar Shah
Background
Dr. Vijaykumar Swarupchand Shah (born 22 Jan 1940) is an Indian dental surgeon and social worker who is the founder of Shah Dental Clinic and a non-governmental organization called Community Welfare Foundation India. He was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, followed in 1992 by the Government of India for his contribution to the field of Medicine and Social Work.
Early Life & Education
Dr. Shah was born in a Jain Gujrathi business family in Sangli. His family was also an epicenter of freedom fighters and was always at forefront of contributing in India’s fight against the British empire. Patriotism and sense of social service was therefore imbibed in Dr. Shah’s mind from his childhood days. The selection of healthcare profession was a natural choice for Dr. Shah who always wanted to contribute to the community and nation at large. He went on to earn his dental degree from prestigious Mumbai University and came back to serve his community in Sangli. He set up Shah Dental Clinic which is a prominent dental clinic in Western Maharashtra. While he was creating a flourishing dental practice, social service and drive for community work was always his greatest priorities. This was the reason he started many social and health initiatives and relentlessly pursued them till they made a positive impact on the community, city, district, state and nation at large. Dr. Shah is also a professional photographer and nurtures his hobby till date.
Personal Life
Dr. Shah is an accomplished dental surgeon who is also known for his many pioneering dental techniques. Apart from dentistry, Dr. Shah is a social worker who is known for exemplary social work and community service nationally as well as internationally. Soon after earning his dental degree, Dr. Shah started travelling extensively undertaking various social and health campaigns. Since year 1966 he has travelled for thousands of miles in and around India, with the sole purpose of reaching out to the millions of citizens through community service and getting them involved in national integration, health, de-addiction, environment and literacy campaigns.
A dentist by profession, he is also an Hon. Professor and advisor of many renowned institutes in India and abroad. He has crossed boundaries - from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari, Kutch to Kohima, Andamans to Lakshadweep Islands, spanning 30 states and 6 union territories, with a direct participation of more than 46,83,000 students, teachers and citizens in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, U. K., China, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, UAE, Seychelle, Mauritius, Reunion, Island, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Singapore, Brunie, Malaysia, Thailand, Luxembourg.
He has managed to awaken citizens on all-round development in the community. With the help the Social Welfare Department, Government of Maharashtra, around 21.9 million students are indirectly involved in community development in the state of Maharashtra.
It was Dr. Vijay’s idea to put into action on a national level the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial garden suggested by him to the then Prime Minister Shri. P.V. Narsinha Rao. Due to his community service, he has been acknowledged by the Government of Maharashtra.
Professional Life
Professional Highlights
Dr. Shah has been the recipient of 544 awards, 24 doctorates and 50 fellowships; he has also been appreciated by a lot of honourable members of our country including the former President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh. His most prestigious award till date has been the ‘Padmashri award’ earned by him on the April 1992 by then President of India Hon. Shri. R. Venkatraman.
He has been called the ‘Knight of Malta’ (Sir) and has been conferred with the title ‘Pandit’. The college of Dentists, USA bestowed upon him the ‘Yellow Emperess Award’ at Sri Lanka International college. He also also amongst the baord of Governors at World Peace and Diplomacy Organization, USA. It was Dr. Vijay’s idea to put into action on a national level the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial garden suggested by him to the then Prime Minister Shri. P.V. Narsinha Rao. Due to his community service, he has been acknowledged by the Government of Maharashtra. He has also been appreciated by a illuminaries including the former President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh.
Family & Social Life
Dr. Shah has 3 children, Nikhil, Preshit and Apoorva. His wife Late Smt. Ashalata Shah was a scholar of Hindi Language and was an active contributor in his social initiatives.
References
http://www.dashboard-padmaawards.gov.in/?Name=Vijaykumar
