Dr. Shiv Kumar – A Profile

Dr. Shiv  Kumar  a mild mannered, soft spoken and unassuming gentleman whom the Palampurians affectionately call Dr. Shiv, is a son of  Late Pt. Amar Nath Sharma ,a renowned Social Worker ,Freedom Fighter and Educationist of Himachal Pardesh,

Dr. Shiv had his early education from Sanatan Dharam High School ,Baijnath and Palampur; and did his MBBS from Medical College Amritsar.

He started his private practice in Palampur and established himself as a most popular and sought after practitioner .For him, the medical profession has

 not merely been a means of making money , but also an instrument of real social service. From the very beginning of his career he has been associated with most of the social service projects in and around Palampur. 

        Dr. Shiv joined the Rotary in 1977 as Charter President of the Rotary Club Palampur and remained President for three consecutive years. During this period, the Palampur Rotary established its name in the entire Rotary District. Thoughtout his distinguished career as a devoted Rotarian he held different responsibilities at the District  level for which he received appreciation and won laurels from all the District Governors. 

        He is the founder Chairman of the Palampur Rotary Eye Foundation which has established a gaint Rotary Eye Hospital at Maranda ,a suburb of Palampur,a satellite eye Hospital at Pragpur and another eye hospital at Dhussara. He is also the Chairman of the Palampur Rotary Helpage Foundation which has established “APNA GHAR” and “Ramanand Gopal Bal Ashram”, a home for the old and orphans in Saliana ,near Palampur.

       Another challenge to establish a center for the stay and vocational activities for the widows and deserted ladies known as “Nari Uthan Kendra” has also been accepted and under this project, hostel facilities for the stay of 50 such ladies is going to be constructed in village Sungal(Palampur),inclusive of one workshop with infrastructure enabling such ladies to earn their livelihood . Apart from this a centre for the handicapped and mentally retarded children is also being established at village Thakurdwara. The construction work is on under the dynamic guidance and supervision of Dr. Shiv Kumar. 

         As Chairman of the Palampur Rotary Eye Foundation , Dr. Shiv Kumar had the privilege of hosting the 2^nd Networking Workshop of the South Asia Partners  of  Operation Eyesight Universal Canada on 3-6 Oct. 1991 at Rotary Eye Hospital ,Maranda.

       As President of the State Branch of the National Society for Prevention of Blindness, Dr. Shiv has been coordinating eye camps in the rural areas . He was the spirit behind the 27^th Annual Conference on Prevention of Blindness of national level held at Palampur on 16^th and 17^th April,1993.                                                                                                           

      Treading on the footprints of his illustrious father ,taking up new challenges in the service of Community is a hobby with Dr. Shiv . His personal interest and endeavors to create infrastructure and facilities for better education in Himachal Pradesh had yielded encouraging results. He is the President of the Sanatan Dharam Pratinidhi Sabha , Punjab and the S.D. Educational Institutions in Himachal Pradesh , Punjab , Rajasthan , Delhi,Chandigarh,Uttar Pradesh,Uttaranchal and J&K. 

       He has represented the Palampur Constituency as a BJP MLA and headed many important committees of the H.P. Vidhan Sabha. 

      The Rotary International has recognized his selfless service and awarded him the highest Rotary honour i.e. “Service Above Self Award “ for 1993. 

      Dr. Shiv has shared the “Satpal Mittal Award” for outstanding service to the humanity instituted by the Nehru Sidhant Kendra Trust for 1995. 

      As Chairman of the Palampur Rotary Eye Foundation , Dr. Shiv Kumar was the recipient of the prestigious biannual award-“1997 Gullison Award” awarded by the Operation Eyesight Universal,Canada, an International Charitable  Organization , for having excelled in developing eye care facility in South Asia. 

      Dr. Shiv Kumar has received numerous awards from the various District Governors of R.I. District & Rotary International for selfless service to the community. 

     Dr. Shiv Kumar has been honoured with Himotkarsh Award for his involvement in the upliftment of the poorest of the poor and the downtrodden . He has also been honoured by Himachal Kesari and Zila Mandi Jankalyan Sabha (Regd.) New Delhi for his selfless service to the society. 

     Dr. Shiv Kumar is a Founder Trustee of Vivekanand Medical Research  Trust  constituted for the establishment of Medical Research Centre at Palampur. 

     He is a trustee of Shree Sanatan Dharam Laxmi Narayan Temple (Birla-Mandir) Trust  Delhi.1 

    Behind all the achievements of Dr. Shiv is his devoted and inspiring wife Dr. Mrs. Vijay Sharma ,who was born on 22^nd Oct. and got her early education in delhi ,Dharamsala and Jallandhar . She also did her MBBS from Medical College ,Amritsar. She is, in fact, the spirit behind the extensive involvement of Dr. Shiv and shares his medical practice. They are blessed with two children Vaishali and Raghav.