Dr Shanta Krishnamurthy (22 August 1944–24 July 2025)

Dr (Mrs) Shanta Krishnamurthy was born in Thirulakadavu in Palakkad, Kerela. She graduated from Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi and obtained her postgraduate degree from Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Hospital, Bombay (now Mumbai). Shanta was working in the Port Trust Hospital, Mumbai, prior to joining Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Bombay in November 1975. Shanta’s initial posting in TMH was in Microbiology, but her love for histopathology and her determination to work in the subject of her choice resulted in her moving to the histopathology department. She proved to be both a gifted diagnostician and an excellent teacher. Her real calling, however, was in the field of cytology.

Cytology at TMH in the 1970s was still very rudimentary and limited to exfoliative cytology, with very few fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) samples. Dr G.V. Talwalkar, who was the head of the department of pathology, decided that he would depute Dr Shanta Krishnamurthy and me to FNAC on a weekly rotational basis. Both of us were raw and at sea in this new world of just ‘cells.’ There was no one to turn to, and no one to teach or guide us in this new subject. So, we decided that we would learn from all fresh operated specimens, by sticking a needle into the tumours, aspirating some cells, and making dummy cytology smears. When we compared the cytological smears with the final histology of the specimens, we learnt that this world was quite fascinating, and certainly very challenging. Shanta grew to love the subject and became an expert very quickly. She delighted in peering at smears for hours and learning and teaching cytology to the rest of the staff and students. She quickly became the cytology advisor to all of us, and her eye was seldom wrong. In 1995, she initiated the Bombay Cytology Group, which consisted of many interested pathologists and cytologists of different hospitals in Mumbai.

Shanta was also particularly interested in gastrointestinal histopathology and collaborated with researchers from the adjacent Cancer Research Institute. Her research publications were on diverse topics, but the majority were, quite expectedly, in gastrointestinal pathology and in cytology. She was also the editor of a book, Aspiration cytology for clinicians and pathologists, published in 1991.

To me, Shanta was many things. First, a colleague, soon after, a friend, often a philosopher, a great cytologist, and best of all, a wonderful, quirky human being who could tell intelligent and funny jokes, and stories that would make us realise that Indian mythology should be learnt with Shanta.

I used to tease her and say, ‘Shanta, you are totally incorrectly named.’ She was anything but ‘shant’ or ‘calm,’ and her name should have been something more thunderous and even volcanic… like Joan of Arc, or Indira Gandhi, or Margaret Thatcher. She was upright, extremely honest, and would call a ‘spade a shovel’ with the courage of a lioness. She was loud and often fearless when provoked. When she cooled down after her bouts of agitation, she was a gentle lamb and even apologetic at times.

Outside the laboratory, we became partners in shopping and marketing—and in bargaining! We would go to the Byculla wholesale market once a week, buy one and a half kg of vegetables at the cheaper wholesale rate, split the fare, and goodies, saving money, having fun in shopping, and generally congratulating ourselves on being good thrifty housewives.

Shanta retired from TMH in April 2002. She was really very academically inclined, and leaving TMH was a loss for her and for all of us. She left for Bengaluru, where she worked in different laboratories and from home. Her work spoke for itself. She was a respected and sought-after cytologist until the very end. Very few pathologists can achieve her level of expertise.

Shanta died in Bengaluru following an angiography. This sudden loss has saddened the entire pathology community. We will certainly miss our friend and colleague. May her soul rest in peace.

She is survived by her husband, Mr C. Krishnamurthy, her daughters, Saumya and Shaila, and their families.