The inventor of Jaipur foot, Dr Pramod Karan Sethi — who gave a reason to smile to lakhs of amputees across the world, including dancer-actress Sudha Chandran— died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Jaipur on Saturday night. Winner of Padma Shri, Ramon Magsaysay Award and the Guinness Award for Scientific Achievement, Sethi was 80. He is survived by his wife, son and three daughters.Sethi, along with artisan Ram Chandra, invented the Jaipur foot in 1969— an improved version of the conventional prosthetic foot. By then, he had already established a rehabilitation centre for below-the-ankle amputees in Jaipur.The Jaipur prosthesis is durable, waterproof, and can be used with or without shoes. It made possible for the physically challenged to run, dance and even climb trees. The Jaipur foot gained popularity after it was used by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East to help soldiers who lost their legs in action. Several Kargil war victims were fitted with the Jaipur foot. Now available in 22 countries, the Jaipur foot costs Rs 1,500.Born in 1927 in Varanasi, Sethi studied medicine in India and Scotland and joined the Sawai Man Singh College and Hospital in Jaipur. It was here that Ram Chandra and Sethi teamed up to invent the Jaipur foot using the sand-casting method. After several attempts, the Jaipur foot was made in three colours — light, medium, and dark brown. A fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Sethi had also set up Jaipur Limb Centres in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nicaragua and Bangladesh.
