Indian Academy of Neurology, Civil Lines, Ludhiana

India attained Independence from British Raj on 15th August 1947. Britishers ruled some parts of India for over 300 years although northern India was under their empire for just over 100 years. Credit must be given to the Englishmen for creating the Health structure in India by establishing rural dispensaries, Tehsil and District Hospitals, in addition to some of Medical Schools and Colleges in the country. But they did not encourage Postgraduate Education in Medicine in India. Some of the medical graduates went to U.K. for postgraduate training and passed the Membership (in medicine MRCP) and Fellowship (in surgery-FRCS) from the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons and returned to India as specialists.



However, super specialisation in medical subjects such as Neurology, Cardiology, Gastroenterology etc and surgical subjects such as Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic surgery, urology, etc remained a distance dream until almost 15 years after India became an Independent country. Some of the very senior Neurosurgeons and Neurologists of India got their super-specialty training abroad, in U.K, and Canada. They were Prof Jacob Chandi (Neurosurgeon) at Vallore, Prof B. Ramamurthi (Neurosurgeon) at Chennai, Prof. T. K. Ghosh (Neurophysician) at Kolkatta, Dr. Baldev Singh (Neurophysician) initially at Vellore and later at New Delhi, Dr. E. P. Bharucha, Dr. N.H. Wadia, Dr. Anil Desai (Neurophysicians) at Mumbai, Dr. G. Arjun Das and Dr. K Jagannathan (Neurophysicians) at Chennai, Dr. Ashoke Bagchi (neurosurgeon) at Kolkatta.



In 1951 some of senior Neurosurgeons and Neurologists established the Neurological Society of India. Precisely these were Dr. Jacob Chandi, Dr. B. Ramamurthi, Dr. S.T. Narsimhan and Dr. Baldev Singh This Society was started with less than half a dozen members which gradually grew larger since many more neurosurgeons and neurologists trained abroad came back to India in service of their motherland, although many remained abroad for greener pastures. As time passed, super specialty training in neurosciences started at many centers in India which initially was at AIIMS New Delhi, Vellore, Chennai, PGI Chandigarh and Mumbai and later at NIMHANS Bangalore. 

Presently there are 4 dozen training centers in neurosciences centers in India. The membership of NSI grew every year steadily and from 1964 Annual conference of NSI became a routine academic affair. The Neurosurgeons, Neurologists and soon allied Neuro-scientists also joined this organization. Scientific papers were presented at this Annual Conference of NSI along with lectures by Invited speakers from India and abroad. In 1974 the Society started regular CME Programmes along with Annual Meeting.