Children’s doc with a child heart

Dr. Aitharaju Venu Manohar Rao (also known as Dr. A.V. Manohar Rao) was a respected pediatrician based in Hyderabad, India. Born on 21 June 1947, he earned his MBBS from Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) in Warangal. In the late 1960s and early 1970s he served as a house surgeon at KMC attached to MGM Hospital, where senior faculty—including surgeons and obstetrician-gynecologists—held him in high regard and frequently collaborated with him on complex family cases. He later pursued higher studies and professional opportunities in the United Kingdom before returning to India. In 1975 he settled in Hyderabad and joined government service as a pediatrician, remaining in public employment until his voluntary retirement in 2002.

After leaving government service he established a private clinic on the ground floor of Arihant Apartments in Ashok Nagar. There he built a strong reputation as one of the city’s most trusted pediatric practitioners, valued for reliability, accessibility, and genuine patient care rather than commercial success. Although trained in pediatrics, colleagues and families routinely sought his counsel on a wide range of medical issues, from routine childhood illnesses to more complex adult and family health concerns. He actively supported public-health initiatives, including pulse-polio immunization campaigns. Even after formal retirement he continued clinical work and informal consultations for many years, remaining available to patients and relatives until shortly before his death on 7 September 2026. Throughout a career spanning government service and private practice, Dr. Manohar Rao was remembered for his clinical skill, broad medical guidance, and personal compassion.

A Friend, Relative, and an Unparalleled Physician

Exactly 41 days after my wife, daughter, and I arrived in Houston for a holiday, the saddest news of our lives reached us. As we prepared to return, we learned that my beloved brother-in-law, lifelong friend, and guide, Dr Aitharaju Venu Manohar Rao, had breathed his last and reached the blissful abode of Lord Vishnu. Perhaps it was fate that when we met him just two days before our departure, he casually asked, “Why now to the USA?” Moments later he wished us a happy and safe journey. Those were our final words together.

Until three weeks earlier he had still been giving medical advice, especially to his sister Bujji. On 7 September 2026 it was as though he had simply said, “Please, no more. I have a call from the Almighty.” My wife, our daughter Bunti (Prema), and I immediately confirmed our return to Hyderabad for one last glimpse. Our children in Houston, Kinnera and Aditya, shared our tears.

Our friendship began in the late 1950s when we were about ten years old at Rikab-Bazar High School in Mamillagudem, Khammam. It endured for nearly seven decades and deepened when I married his sister Bujji (Vijayalaxmi) in April 1969. I still remember how Manohar, guided by his father and acting as the young head of the family while his eldest brother was in the UK, steered the wedding arrangements with quiet responsibility.

After graduation and marriage I spent three years in my village before Manohar encouraged me to pursue higher studies at Nagpur University. He accompanied me on my first visit while he himself was studying medicine at KMC, Warangal. While I was in Nagpur he wrote one of the most significant letters of my life. In December 1968 Bujji, then only 15, developed severe abdominal pain. Investigations revealed a non-functioning left kidney and a ureteric stone. Manohar, still a medical student, took her to the eminent surgeon Dr K. R. Prasad Rao.

The stone was removed on 15 March 1969. Eight months after our marriage the kidney remained non-functional. Nephrectomy became necessary. Manohar wrote to me with maturity far beyond his 22 years—convincing yet respectful of my right to decide, offering further consultation and treatment anywhere in the world. With complete faith I agreed. On 10 January 1970 Dr Prasad Rao performed the successful nephrectomy. More than 56 years later, by God’s grace, all remains well. Manohar’s concern for his sister continued until the day before his last breath.

When Bujji was pregnant, Manohar arranged her care with Professor T. Padma, who even hosted mother and daughter in her home. Our daughter Prema was born on 8 July 1971; her bond with her uncle was so deep that she was left speechless by the news of his passing. Before they left Warangal he hosted a dinner for doctors, friends and relatives who had supported the family. Manohar also introduced me to enduring friendships. After returning from the UK in 1975 he stayed with us briefly in Hyderabad before settling in Chikkadpally.

Later, when our son Aditya suffered severe infantile eczema and then acute diarrhoea, Manohar again became our pillar—taking him to specialists and remaining involved until recovery. As a paediatrician in Ashok Nagar he became one of Hyderabad’s most trusted physicians, not for wealth but for service and affection. People sought him for everything from common colds to serious conditions because they trusted his judgement and compassion. He practised medicine as an expression of care rather than a profession. He also taught by example the quiet power of courtesy, adopting the British habit of beginning with “Please” and ending with “Thank you” until those words became part of his nature.

Manohar leaves behind an enduring example: of shouldering family responsibility young, serving without seeking recognition, combining professional excellence with human kindness, remaining available to those in need, and making courtesy a way of life. For me he was childhood friend, beloved brother-in-law, trusted adviser, family physician and one of the finest human beings I have known. The pain of losing him is immeasurable, yet gratitude is stronger. Manohar, you served family, patients, friends and humanity with distinction. Your physical presence has ended, but your kindness, wisdom and example remain with us forever. May your soul rest in eternal peace at the blissful abode of Lord Vishnu.

(V Jwala Narasimha Rao)

Former CPRO to KCR