Dhanwant Singh Grewal was a distinguished ophthalmologist in Punjab, India. He was born in Barnala, in the Punjab, on 3 November 1926. His father, Raghbir Singh, was medical officer to the royal family in Patiala, Punjab; his mother was Nihal Kaur. His younger brother became an ENT surgeon. He was educated in Baranala and Patiala, and studied medicine in Patna, qualifying in 1948. In 1952, he passed the diploma in ophthalmology in the Punjab. In the mid 1950s, he went to London, where, in 1955, he gained his FRCS, winning the Hallet prize. He returned to India and became a leading ophthalmologist, as professor, head of department and principal of the Government Medical College, Patiala. He performed the first corneal transplant operation in northern India. He was also president of the Blind Relief Society in Patiala, Punjab and organised hundreds of free eye camps. In 1981, he was awarded the Padma Shri from the government of India, but returned the award three years later in protest against the Indian Army operation at the Golden Temple, Amritsar. Outside medicine he was interested in hunting, swimming and photography. In 1953, he married Pushpa, an anaesthetist, professor and head of department. They had one son, Pushapwant Singh, who also became a doctor. Predeceased by his wife in 2001, Dhanwant Singh Grewal died after a prolonged illness in July 2013. He was 86.