Dr. Kotnis joined an Indian medical team which came to China in 1938 to help its people in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression. He worked selflessly and untiringly for the sick and the wounded, and unfortunately died of illness on December 9, 1942 at the age of only 32.

Dr. Kotnis was remembered and highly praised for his great contribution to the Chinese people's liberation. said Wang Yunze, vice-president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). Short as his life was, Wang added, it marked eternal love and friendship between China and India, andhe had become a symbol of friendship between the people of the two countries.

Indian ambassador to China Shivshankar Menon said although the world today was entirely different from what it had been in the late 1930 when Dr. Kotnis came to China, his ethics and model conduct remained as inspiring as ever. India and China would stand together and work for the prosperity and peace of both countries, the ambassador added.

Noting Dr. Kotnis was well remembered in China, Wang said that in north China's Hebei Province where he died, a memorial hall was built to cherish his memory, along with a hospital and a medical college named after him.

Meanwhile, a medical team made up of volunteer doctors from Beijing, also bearing his name, was formed in 1996, and they go annually to outlying, needy areas on medical rounds to offer free medical services for local farmers and herdsmen.

(Xinhua News Agency December 7, 2002)