'The scientist' who succumbed to doc's negligence

HYDERABAD:: Why did Savala Narendra Kumar go in for liposuction? The young research scholar from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNTUH), who went under the knife to get rid of excess fat, died on Sunday following complications after the surgery.

Kumar's friends and family members, who gathered at the Gandhi Medical Hospital on Monday, were found searching for answers to this one question: Why on earth did he opt for liposuction? 'He was lean but had a paunch. And though others made fun of him, he would shrug it off by laughing at himself.

We never expected that he could take such a step,' exclaimed his guide, professor Lakshmi Narasu of the JNTUH. In fact, Narendra had undergone liposuction earlier too, without the knowledge of his family members.

'But, his decision to get it done for the second time is something we could never know. Had he discussed with us, we would have discouraged him,' said the professor.

His friends and juniors at JNTUH too are equally stunned by his untimely death. And, they find it difficult to believe that their 'harmless' fun might have forced Narendra to go under the knife.

A number of people gathered outside the Gandhi Medical Hospital mortuary on Monday to see him for one last time. His parents, S Venkatasubbamma and S Venkateswarlu, were inconsolable.

'Had the doctor (at the Akruti Cosmetic Surgery Centre in Ameerpet) accepted his mistake and treated Narendra accordingly, he would have survived,' said Venkateswarlu.

According to Narendra's friend Sai Udai Kiran, Narendra knew soon after the surgery that something was wrong. 'He was bleeding, but the doctor assured him that nothing was wrong.

The same evening, he vomited and approached the doctor who gave him some pain killers,' recalled Udai Kiran. According to his friends, Narendra's family had relocated to Hyderabad from their native Vinukonda only for the sake of his studies.

Narendra had a very good academic record. A class topper in MSc, he was fondly called 'scientist' by his friends.

The 32-year-old was so engrossed in his research that he kept postponing his marriage. Santhosh, an M.Sc student, remembered, 'Sharing knowledge was his hobby and he would help us with our projects. He would also teach us in his free time.

'His batchmate from the MG College in Guntur, Anwar said, 'His only dream right from college days was to see his name printed on textbooks for his contribution to science so that students of future generations will rem e m b e r him.

'Wondering about his passion for books, Udai Kiran said, 'For him, it was all about science. He had a huge collection of books and we wondered if he would spend all his money on books alone. He would always be seen either in the department lab or hostel with juniors.'

Narendra completed his B.Sc from the Mahatma Gandhi College, Guntur before joining in M.Sc (bio-chemistry) at the Acharya Nagarjuna University.

Further, he pursued his M.Tech (bioinformatics) from the University of Hyderabad and had only to give viva to complete his doctorate from JNTUH.

Narendra is survived by his parents, a brother and a sister. His father S Venkateswarlu is a retired supervisor at the Agricultural Market Committee, Guntur.