Doctor won hearts and minds of city

His freedom fighting father was dubbed the Ironman of Karnataka, but Dr Sangramsinha Gudleppa Hallikeri carved out his own, no less impressive, path in our community.

Like his father before him, he was a fighter, but one who fought for the health of the people.

Winning hearts and minds clearly runs in the family.

If you were to judge by tributes alone, Dr Hallikeri was a man of immense popularity and respected in the community.

Our Facebook pages have been inundated with tributes to the doctor who swapped life on the wards for caring for patients out in the community.

We have repeated just some of the heartfelt words posted in honour of the proud family man who made a huge impression on the community he served.

A rich and varied career in the caring services earned him great respect and, as our tribute to him today reveals, he will be sorely missed. He studied at Karnataka Medical College in Hubli and moved to the UK in 1970, living in Oxfordshire and then Glasgow before beginning work at South Tyneside District Hospital, as well as a time at hospitals in Shotley Bridge and York before arriving at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

It is fitting, after all the tributes we have printed today, to leave the last word to his children.

They said: “Dad was loved by everyone he met, always making time to talk and ask about their family – he always remembered names. As a very prominent Sunderland GP, he is still missed even nearly 15 years after retirement.”