Born Into the Story of Sevagram

For Dr. Shirish Gode, Sevagram was never merely a place where he came to study medicine. It was woven into the very fabric of his life long before he entered the gates of MGIMS.

He was born in Kasturba Hospital, Sevagram, in 1954. The doctor who delivered him was none other than Dr. Manimala Choudhary, who would later go on to become the Secretary of the Kasturba Health Society. It is difficult to imagine a more symbolic beginning for someone whose life would remain so deeply connected with Sevagram.

He spent his childhood in Kharangana Gode, a village barely three kilometres from Sevagram. His earliest years were shaped by the rhythms of village life, the closeness of rural communities, and the quiet presence of Gandhian institutions that surrounded him.

He attended the local village school for his primary education before moving to Wardha for high school. There, he studied first at Craddock High School and later at Swavalambi Vidyalaya. By the time he reached college, he joined J.B. Science College in Wardha and completed his B.Sc. Part I in 1971.

Although many students discovered Sevagram only when they came for the entrance examination, Shirish had lived with its influence from birth.

A Family Deeply Linked to MGIMS

Shirish’s connection with Sevagram extended beyond geography. It was also rooted in family.

His father, Santoshrao Gode, was then the President of the Wardha Zilla Parishad and later went on to become a Member of Parliament from Wardha district. During the early years of MGIMS, when the institution was still struggling to establish itself, Santoshrao Gode played an important role in supporting Dr. Sushila Nayar.

He helped secure land, obtain deficit grants for Kasturba Hospital, and navigate the complicated paperwork required with the state government. He and Dr. Nayar shared not only a close working relationship but also a deep belief in Gandhian ideals, public service, and rural healthcare.

Growing up in such a household, Shirish witnessed first-hand the effort, commitment, and political will that went into building MGIMS in its infancy. He saw how strongly his father believed that rural India deserved high-quality medical care and how deeply Dr. Sushila Nayar was committed to that vision.

In those early years, the admission process itself reflected the institution’s unique identity. Out of the thirty seats reserved for Maharashtra candidates, two were allocated to central government nominees, two to Maharashtra government nominees, and one seat was reserved for the Wardha Zilla Parishad. The remaining seats went to students from across the country.

Cracking the Sevagram Entrance Test

In 1972, Shirish appeared for the Sevagram PMT in Nagpur.

The examination was unlike any other entrance test. Instead of multiple-choice questions, it demanded long essay-type answers in physics, chemistry, biology, and Gandhian thought. For students who had grown up with an interest in Gandhi’s life and philosophy, the paper on Gandhian thought offered an important advantage.

Shirish prepared carefully for that section because he knew it could make the difference between selection and rejection.

Soon after the written examination, he was called for the interview at Sevagram. The panel included Dr. Sushila Nayar, Dr. Manimala Choudhary, Principal Dr. Ishar Dayal Singh, the President of the Wardha Zilla Parishad, and a representative of the Maharashtra government.

The questions reflected the values of the institution. He was asked about Gandhiji’s philosophy, his views on health, his role in the freedom movement, and the challenges of bringing healthcare to rural India.

Shirish answered with confidence because these were not unfamiliar subjects. He had grown up in an environment where Gandhian thought was part of everyday conversation.

Soon afterwards, he was selected.

Discovering the Spirit of MGIMS

Before formal classes began, the new students attended a fortnight-long orientation camp at Gandhiji’s Ashram.

For many students, it was their first real introduction to Sevagram’s way of life. The camp was led by Shri L.R. Pandit, while Pandey Guruji conducted the morning prayers. Nirmalaben Gandhi, Gandhiji’s daughter-in-law, would come every morning and evening to meet the students. Anantramji Mishra looked after the kitchen and ensured that everyone received simple but nourishing meals.

Those two weeks left a deep impression on Shirish and his classmates.

Some students found it difficult to adjust to village life, the austere atmosphere of the Ashram, the khadi dress code, and the strict discipline enforced by the Principal. For many, Sevagram felt very different from the cities and towns from which they had come.

For Shirish, however, the atmosphere felt natural and familiar. He had grown up in a village not far away. The simplicity of Sevagram did not feel like a burden to him. It felt like home.

Looking back, he realises that the orientation camp did more than simply introduce students to the institution. It brought the batch together and gave them a sense of identity that would remain with them long after they graduated.

The First Batch in the New Building

The 1972 batch occupied a special place in the history of MGIMS because it was the first batch to move into the new college building on the hill.

The earlier batches had studied in the old hospital building, attended lectures in Adhyayan Mandir, and performed their dissections in makeshift facilities. By the time Shirish’s batch arrived, MGIMS had begun to expand.

The students attended lectures in spacious halls, worked in better-equipped laboratories, and performed dissections in a new dissection hall. It was a sign that the institution was growing.

The hostel system too had become more organised. Hostel A housed the 1969 batch, Hostel B the 1970 batch, and Hostel C the 1971 batch. Shirish’s batch moved into Hostel D. Hostels E and F were still under construction, while Hostels G and H were reserved for girls.

From his own college, J.B. Science College in Wardha, only two students joined the MGIMS batch of 1972: Shirish Gode and Vinayak Wankhede. Later, Vinayak chose a different path, joining the Indian Army after MBBS and eventually retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.

The Night He Became Suman Mungi

Although lectures, ward postings, and hostel life formed an important part of student life, Shirish remembers one particular event more vividly than almost anything else.

On 6 February 1974, the students staged a Marathi comedy called Kaka Kishacha.

The play revolved around a hostel student trying to get married. In order to impress the girl’s father, he persuades three friends to pretend to be his wealthy uncles. What follows is a delightful series of misunderstandings, lies, and comic confusion.

In the middle of the story appears an unusual character named Suman Mungi, a person with feminine mannerisms and a soft voice who moves into the hostel and gradually steals from everyone around him.

That was the role Shirish played.

At first, he was reluctant to accept it because it was not the sort of role that most young men would eagerly volunteer to perform. Yet his friends persuaded him.

The performance turned out to be unforgettable.

The audience loved him. They laughed, applauded, and cheered. Overnight, he became one of the stars of the college.

Years later, Alhad Pimputkar from the 1971 batch recalled that the biggest challenge had been finding someone willing to play Suman Mungi. After several students refused, he finally approached Shirish.

“For you, yes,” Shirish replied. “For anyone else, I would have refused.”

According to Alhad, Shirish played the role with such subtlety and conviction that the audience forgot they were watching Shirish Gode and saw only Suman Mungi.

The irony, of course, was that the role could not have been more different from his real personality.

Even now, Shirish remembers the cast clearly: Sudhir Deshmukh, Alhad Pimputkar, Shyam Babhulkar, Subhash Patil, Meena Kurundwadkar, Vrunda Khamndare, Narayan Dawre, and himself.

That evening was more than a performance. It captured the spirit of friendship, creativity, and youthful energy that defined life at MGIMS.

Returning to Where It All Began

Looking back now, Dr. Shirish Gode sees a certain poetry in the course his life has taken.

He was born in Sevagram, raised in a nearby village, educated in Wardha, and then returned to MGIMS as a medical student.

For him, Sevagram was not an accidental destination. It was always part of his journey.

The institution gave him much more than a medical education. It reinforced the values with which he had grown up: simplicity, service, discipline, and a commitment to rural India.

In many ways, his life came full circle.

He was born in the shadow of Sevagram, and he carried its spirit with him ever after.