Doctor's inspiring legacy given a fresh take

Some 79 years after his death, his fans in India believe that if the doctor's selfless acts are depicted properly to the next generation, this can help promote understanding between India and China.

North Court High School in Solapur, Maharashtra, where Kotnis was educated, has maintained a century-old register of his enrolment.

In 1976, a railway medical facility in the city of Solapur, Maharashtra, was named Dwarkanath Kotnis Memorial Hospital.

Kartik Kendhe, an Indian film director, has started to make a Marathi-language movie on the doctor's life. The film will have English and Chinese subtitles.

Part of the movie will be shot in Hebei, and the aim of the film is to remind everyone of the Sino-Indian friendship built by Kotnis, Kendhe said.

Jadhav is excited about the new movie. "I only hope that The Friend of Mankind will inspire the people of China and India. These two countries are among the oldest civilizations in the world," he said.

To build strong cultural ties between the two nations, on April 3 during Qingming Festival, the Chinese Consulate in Mumbai and the Dr Kotnis Memorial Committee jointly held an online memorial event for the doctor.

Sun Weidong, China's ambassador to India, said on the 110th anniversary of the doctor's birth last year, "He is a hero to remember, a monument to eternity."

Swaran Singh, chairman of the Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said experts have suggested on many occasions that the two countries should highlight the doctor's legacy to enhance their mutual cooperation.

Xinhua contributed to this story.