Pioneer Gastroenterologists Dr Bantwal Narasimha Somayaji Passes Away
Mangaluru: Dr Bantwal Narasimha Somayaji, one of the pioneer Gastroenterologists in the United States, breathed his last in Mangaluru on Tuesday, February 13th, 2024.
Born in 1935 in Mangaluru as the second son of Gandhian Sri Narayana Somayaji and Gopi Amma, he had his schooling at Ganapathi High School, Mangaluru. Later he graduated from the Madras Medical College in 1958. He went to Birmingham, UK and Houston, USA for postgraduate studies and worked as a Professor of Gastroenterology at Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, USA and practised as a gastroenterologist in Nashville, USA for more than 40 years.
He was the co-founder of the Hindu Culture Center of Tennessee in 1980. During his tenure as board chairman for 15 years, he oversaw the building of Nashville’s Sri Ganesha Temple. He was the chairman of Saptagiri Hotels Private Limited, Kavoor, Mangaluru, established in 1985. He started the Saptagiri Foundation in 1989 to support local charities and education for children. He is survived by his wife Sumedha, son Anil and daughter Shalini.
