A missed Nobel: Dr Subhas Mukhopadhyay (1931-1981), the Father of Indian IVF

The Indian journey of assisted reproductive therapy began in Calcutta on 3 October 1978, when Dr Subhas Mukhopadhyay discovered the technique of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) only 67 days following the birth of the world's first IVF baby, Louise Brown in the United Kingdom by Edwards and Steptoe. While Edwards won the Nobel Prize in 2010 for his groundbreaking work, Mukhopadhyay, the man behind the genesis of 'Durga', India's first IVF baby, never received any recognition. Instead, he faced severe humiliation from his peers. His colleagues and the government dismissed his claims and unable to live with dishonour and disgrace, he tragically took his life on 19 June 1981. Today his innovative techniques of cryopreservation, gonadotropin stimulation and transvaginal oocyte retrieval are used worldwide across millions of fertility clinics, helping childless couples live the dream of parenthood.