Kochi: He was principled and dignified to a fault. In death too, these qualities never deserted him. In death, Prof Madhukar Rao showed his students and the society he lived in, what it took to lead a life of dedication and dignity.
A legend in his own right, a teacher of English who retired from Maharaja’s College in 1980, he had made up his mind long ago to donate his organs and told his son son Ajith Kumar, about his wish.
Despite the sudden shock of seeing his father dying of a heart attack on Wednesday night, the son did not forget his father’s oft-repeated wish.
He immediately called up Drisya Eye Bank run by Dr Tony Fernandez and they collected the eyes within a few hours.
Later, the Kochi-based Society for Organ Replacement and Transplantation was informed of the late professor’s desire to donate his organs. On Thursday, the body was handed over to the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences.
An authority on Shakespeare, he could quote profusely from the Bard’s works with a merry twinkle in his eye.
Prof Rao had also worked in Brennen College, Thalassery, University College, Thiruvananthapuram, Victoria College, Palakkad and Government College, Kasaragode.
