Tribute To Dr S K Ray: Remembering A Friend & Colleague

“I sometimes hold it half a sin
To put in words the grief I feel
For words, like Nature, half reveal
And half conceal the Soul within”
— Lord Tennyson

I was saddened by the demise of my friend and professional colleague Dr (Prof) SK Ray, a household name among pet lovers of the city, on December 18 morning at his residence in Bhubaneswar with no history of any previous illness.

Dr Surendra Kumar Ray and I were known to each other ever since we were admitted to College of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry, Bhubaneswar, in 1960 for BVSc & AH degree. We shared the same hostel for four years, veterinary college’s Hostel No. 1 on the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) campus.

We both graduated in 1964 and joined service in the state government as Veterinary Assistant Surgeons. We both acquired our Master’s degree in 1972 from OUAT.

After obtaining his PhD degree from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, Dr Ray joined OUAT as a faculty member in the Medicine Department.
I too joined the faculty of Veterinary Science as Director of Clinics in 1974 on deputation from government service. I continued in the post till retirement in 1999.

A shared journey that began in 1960 continued until retirement. Both of us lived in similar quarters on OUAT campus and commuted to office — a 10-minute ride — on our scooters. Living in the same neighbourhood, our families became known to each other.

In 1999, when Dr Ray was holding the post of Director of AH and Veterinary Services (Odisha) on deputation from OUAT, and I was Professor and Head of Medicine Department, we organised a national symposium along with the XVII Annual Conference of Indian Society of Veterinary Medicine in OUAT’s Medicine Department in collaboration with the state government. Dr Ray gave his all to the event and we both made it a great success.

I pray to the Almighty for his soul to rest in peace. I also pray to God to give his family members enough strength and courage to bear with the loss.

(The writer is Retired Professor and Head, Department of Medicine, Veterinary College, Bhubaneswar, Odisha)