Reflections on Medicine and Life by Dr. S.P. Kalantri
A chance meeting in Sevagram became my last conversation with Dr. Harshvardhan Tikle. This is a remembrance of a quiet boy who grew up in the warden’s quarters, loved Marathi books, followed his father’s calling, and left far too soon.
I have given hundreds of talks in my life. Lectures to medical students, presentations at conferences, seminars on diagnostics and evidence-based medicine. For all of them I prepared slides. Dozens of them, sometimes. When Dr Pankaj Harkut, cardiologist from Nagpur, invited me to speak on dying with dignity at a physicians and cardiologists conference in … Read the essay
In 1973, GMC Nagpur had three Mayas. Maya Khati. Maya Wanjari. Maya Bhaskarwar. Call out the name in the corridor and three heads turned. Fifty years later, it is worth asking what became of them. Maya Khati was a farmer’s daughter from Warora. Her mother had rented two rooms in Wardha so her daughter could … Read the essay
My mother was born in 1926, when most births and deaths took place at home. I grew up listening to stories of labour that began in the family room, with midwives, aunts, and neighbours gathering around the expectant mother. Death, too, belonged to the household. Many people spent their final days in familiar surroundings and … Read the essay
If MS Dhoni announces his retirement today, how many eyebrows would really rise? For years, he was celebrated for his timing — behind the stumps, in front of them, and in the split-second decisions that defined his greatness. Perhaps the hardest decision, even for the sharpest minds, is knowing when to walk away. As Vijay … Read the essay