Kewal Krishan Thakral
An Ayurvedic surgeon known for popularising the kshar sutra procedure and a former Director of Ayurveda in Uttar Pradesh, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Kewal Krishan Thakral is a surgeon trained in Ayurveda who has spent six decades teaching and practising shalya (Ayurvedic surgery). In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of medicine, from Uttar Pradesh [1].
Training
Thakral was born on 10 October 1938 [2]. He earned a degree in Ayurveda with modern medicine and surgery from the University of Lucknow in 1964 and a postgraduate qualification in Ayurvedic surgery from Banaras Hindu University in 1968, finishing top of his class [2].
Kshar sutra
His citation credits him with a leading role in spreading the kshar sutra treatment for anal fistula, and with kama vedhan, a small procedure used in Ayurveda for bronchial asthma [2]. It says this work made Ayurvedic surgery much more widely accepted [2].
Teacher and administrator
He taught at Uttar Pradesh’s state Ayurvedic colleges, rising to professor and head of department [2]. In 1976 he spent time as a research surgeon at the University of California in San Francisco [2]. Back in India he became principal of the state Ayurvedic colleges, dean of the Ayurveda faculty at Kanpur University and later Director of Ayurveda and Unani Services for Uttar Pradesh [2]. He also served on the national task force on kshar sutra under the Department of AYUSH, and has guided many MD and PhD theses [2].
His awards include Ayurved Ratnakar (1991) and Shalya Vigyan Ratna (2015) [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Kewal Krishan Thakral — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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