Prof. L. P. Shah

This MSM Annual 2004 is dedicated to the memory of a well respected name in the field of psychiatry, the late Prof. L. P. Shah. His contribution to the making of a number of psychiatrists (including one of us), to the development of Indian Psychiatry, and to the linkage of Indian Psychiatry with World Psychiatry have been, to say the least, substantial. His staunch belief in Psychiatry as a medical discipline was matched by the equally strong belief that Psychiatry could not do away with psychotherapy and deeper understanding of the psyche of an individual. And that Psychiatry also had an important role to play as a social science. Moreover, his whole life was a great testimony to the triumph of the spirit over matter. All those whose lives were touched by this gentle soul can only feel ennobled by the deep impressions that his magnanimous personality left on them. His commitments and beliefs were well matched by his life long companion and life partner, the gentle and most gracious Ms. Hema Shah, herself a contributor of no small magnitude to the Mental Health Movement in India. We carry a homage to this important pillar of Indian Psychiatry written by her. We do deeply appreciate her gesture in writing this dedication and thank her for rising above her personal grief and loss to communicate her thoughts and feelings about this noble soul. The Mens Sana Monographs wish to offer deepest condolences to her on this irreparable loss and hope and pray his soul rests in eternal peace (and prashanti , as he was always prone to point out). We hope and pray that his zest for life and work in the field of Psychiatry, and his fine qualities of head and heart, continue to guide scores of psychiatrists of today, and the future, to respond to the challenges of change in their branch with freshness and spontaneity, but without being overwhelmed by any.

Ajai R. Singh

Shakuntala A. Singh