Kolkata: Tributes have been pouring in for physician Mani Kumar Chhetri, who passed away on Sunday night. A group of doctors is also working on releasing a documentary that features the 106-year-old doctor. Titled ‘Endocrinology in Bengal’, the film traces the beginnings of this specialist subject in the state, at the state-run IPGMER & SSKM Hospital, where Chhetri had been the director.Upon his return from the UK with an FRCP, Chhetri joined the state-run hospital as the director in 1960. Revered by students and juniors for his mentorship, and respected by peers for his pioneering activities, Chhetri is credited with helping establish separate departments of not only endocrinology but others like cardiology and neurology at SSKM Hospital during his tenure as its director.“We shot the video of Mani Chhetri in Aug 2025 as part of this documentary that traces the history of endocrinology in Bengal. We had to speak to him because of the role he played in developing the department as director of IPGMER. When we filmed him, he was already 105, and yet his mental faculty, agility and energy for a person of that age were just unbelievable,” said endocrinology professor Sujoy Ghosh of IPGMER & SSKM Hospital.A chapter in the documentary, which is also being written in the form of a coffee-table book, features Chhetri talking about why he felt the need to start those speciality subjects and the circumstances that led to setting up those services in the state’s premier health institute.Known as a tough taskmaster with a gentle soul, many of his juniors remembered him as a marvellous physician and a great human being. Even after his retirement from a govt job, he returned to SSKM Hospital as emeritus professor, guiding junior doctors while continuing to support patient care.“I had the opportunity to work under him as an assistant at SSKM’s medicine OPD for about a year. By that time, he was already a big shot with knowledge and expertise in medicine. But he was never intimidating, even while correcting our mistakes or guiding us for a better outcome. He was a tough taskmaster but had a heart of gold,” said medicine specialist Tapas Kumar.The likes of Kumar continued to learn from Chhetri for years. In fact, Kumar worked under Chhetri in the then AMRI Dhakuria for 12-13 years. Many continued to visit Chhetri at his Ballygunge house till about a month ago, when he fell and sustained some injuries. “Though I have not had the opportunity to train or work under him, I have seen him visiting the medicine department often in our hospital. He would discuss issues and interact with the existing faculty members,” said an administrator at IPGMER & SSKM Hospital.A prolific researcher in his heydays, sources said Chhetri was deeply into reading breakthrough research articles published by both international and national medical journals.
