Teachers taught this centenarian to be punctual and train students with dedication

G.M. Yahya, a centenarian with a rich medical career, shares his wisdom and experiences as a respected professor.

A trip down memory lane with G.M. Yahya, who turned 100 recently, was an enriching experience. He had worked in all the three medical colleges in the city – the Madras Medical College, Kilpauk and Stanley Medical College and retired as dean of Thanjavur Medical College in August 1982. 

Born on August 24, 1924, in Chennai, he studied in corporation school until class 5 and completed high school at Madrasa-E-Azam and intermediate from Mohammedan College. He was enrolled in Madras Medical College in 1944. His parents got him married before he entered college as they worried he might find a match on his own. He has four children, two daughters and two sons. 

“I am not a merit student. My score was 60% and I got a seat automatically because of reservation (for Muslims). Now they say unless you get 99% you cannot get into medical college,” he said. 

Dr. Yahya’s daily routine to date includes a walk on Amir Mahal campus. “I used to walk for an hour. Now I walk 10 to 15 minutes, I think,” he said, adding: “The best method of living comfortably is to walk every day.”  

He respects all his teachers and follows their lead. “I admire Dr. Sadasivan. Dr. A. Venugopal and Dr. Ratnavelu Subramaniam were my teachers. He has written a book I was interested in and suggested some details be added. I learnt many things from Dr. Easwaraiah, my professor of Pharmacology. I learnt that a good teacher should not take any notes with him when he is lecturing. K. Ramachandra would revise the entire subject and U. Mohan Rao was a great surgeon,” he said.  

As a teacher, his aim was to give information to students satisfactorily. “Students must listen and if they are convinced, they must practice. I would go to the class without any notes,” he said. He would caution students on administering penicillin. He said, “Penicillin is the queen of antibiotics. Don’t inject without testing for sensitivity in a patient.” 

Once his teacher failed him in anatomy for being late to the practical exam. “I wanted to sharpen the scalpel, so I went to Moore Market,” he recalled. When he entered the exam hall his teacher said: “We are not going to examine you.” That evening at the oral examination he was quizzed on the posterior compartment of the leg. His friends later told him it indicated he had failed in the practicals.