Dr K.V. Desikan, a legend in leprosy, passed away on 23rd October, 2022. He was ninety six. In a career spanning more than sixty years, Dr. Desikan invested considerable effort and time trying to understand the mystery that shrouds leprosy. He began working in an area few others cared about. Leprosy, in the early fifties, …
Dr BC Harinath
The passing away of Dr BC Harinath evokes so many memories. He came to Sevagram in 1970, fresh with a PhD in Biochemistry from the USA. Sevagram was a small village then and young Harinath had trouble adjusting to Sevagram. The first batch of medical students had arrived only a year ago and Dr Harinath …
A Tale of Two Cities
In the summer of 1969, a small Wardha village witnessed the birth of an institution that would shape generations of doctors. Sevagram, once home to Mahatma Gandhi, now nurtured the MGIMS—where medicine met service. But miles away, in the heart of Madhya Pradesh, stood another institute, older yet equally steeped in purpose—Gandhi Medical College (GMC), …
The Prize that Meant the World
It was the winter of 1991, and I was a young faculty member in the Department of Medicine at MGIMS, Sevagram. Life was simple, our means were modest, and our ambitions were shaped more by circumstance than by grand design. One day, a handwritten letter arrived from the President of the Indian Medical Association, Nagpur. …
The Prize that Meant the World
It was the winter of 1991, and I was a young faculty member in the Department of Medicine at MGIMS, Sevagram. Life was simple, our means were modest, and our ambitions were shaped more by circumstance than by grand design. One day, a handwritten letter arrived from the President of the Indian Medical Association, Nagpur. …
The Road that Built Sevagram
Yesterday morning, during my rounds at Sevagram Hospital, I observed a flurry of activity along the road connecting the main gate to the Medicine department. Workers were laying hot tar on gravel, the air thick with the sharp scent of asphalt as rollers smoothed the surface. By evening, a transformation was complete: a gleaming black …
The Road
This morning, on my rounds at Sevagram hospital, I walked past the small patch of road connecting the main hospital gate to the Medicine department building where I work. Workers swarmed the area, spreading hot tar on the gravel, smoothing it with heavy rollers. Steam rose as the molten surface settled, the sharp smell of …
When Medicine Lost, Obstetrics Won!
The girl was born in Gondia, the youngest of six, the apple of her father’s eye. While her family thrived in business, she set her sights on medicine. She pursued her MBBS at Government Medical College, Nagpur. The year was 1966. During her undergraduate years, one man recognized her brilliance—Dr. G.S. Sainani, the head of …
When Medicine Lost, Obstetrics Won
The girl was born in Gondia, the youngest of six, the apple of her father’s eye. While her family thrived in business, she set her sights on medicine. She pursued her MBBS at Government Medical College, Nagpur. The year was 1966. During her undergraduate years, one man recognized her brilliance—Dr. G.S. Sainani, the head of …
Can One Conversation change the Destiny?
Can a doctor—a family friend—steer you from engineering to medicine? Can a few words make you trade certainty for the unknown? Yes. Dr. R.V. Wardekar did just that. But he was no ordinary doctor. In the 1940s, he left the bustling metropolis of Mumbai for the quiet simplicity of Sevagram —and reshaped public health. In …
Dr. P. Y. Deshmukh: The Quiet Giant of Medicine
On July 5, 1929, in the remote village of Vidul, Yadavrao and Renukabai Deshmukh welcomed a son, whom they named Purushottam, meaning ‘the supreme man. Vidul, a tiny hamlet of 400 people in Umarkhed taluka, Yavatmal district, had little to offer beyond a fifth-grade education. When Purushottam lost his father at four, and with his …
The Dean, The Lambretta and The Dusty road
In the good old days, life in Sevagram was simple. The roads were dusty, the air always hot, and the village felt far removed from bustling cities. Yet amidst this simplicity, something rare filled the air—humility. Once upon a time, the heads of departments and deans were more than just figures of authority. They were …