Jacob Cherian

Dr. Jacob Cherian (14 July 1923 – 4 October 2007)[citation needed], popularly known as Ayya, was an Indian surgeon, educationist and a social worker.

[4] He started his medical service at Oddanchatram, a rural area in the state of Tamil Nadu where he had co-founded a small health center in 1955, along with A. K.

[5][6] After becoming a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow in 1961, he moved to Ambilikkai, another village in Dindigul District, and started a small hospital with 25 beds to treat leprosy and tuberculosis, two fatal diseases prevalent in the area during that time; the hospital would later develop into a 175-bedded multi-disciplinary facility, the first such recognized facility for leprosy started by an Indian.

[7] Subsequently, Cherian entered the education sector and two higher secondary schools, one with English as the medium of instruction and the other with Tamil, were the ones he started first.

[2] He received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award from the Government of India in 1999.