 A former honorary surgeon to the President of India, he received B. C. Roy Award, the highest Indian award in the medical category, twice.The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 2002, for his contributions to medical science.Rangabashyam was born on 5 November 1936 in Chennai, in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu to Natesan-Vittobai couple.