How did students get into MGIMS five decades ago? I asked a senior professor of pharmacologyโan alumnus of the MGIMS Class of 1970โand he shared his story. Itโs a charming throwback to simpler times, full of serendipity, sincerity, and a touch of destiny.
๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐๐ค๐ก๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ฃโ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ฟ๐ค๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง
The year was 1969.
I hadnโt even heard of Sevagram.
Back then, I was chasing engineering. Maths was my stream in Higher Secondary, and I had topped the VRCE engineering merit listโRank One. That shouldโve been it. But my fatherโstrict, uniformed, resoluteโhad other ideas. He wanted a doctor in the family.
So, I gave in. Enrolled in First Year BSc Biology at the Institute of Science, Nagpur. It felt like diving into unfamiliar waters, and I was barely afloat. The year passed, exams came and went, and thenโsomething happened.
My father, a police inspector, got transferred from Yavatmal to Wardha.
We packed our things, shifted to our new house, and I was sent on a mundane choreโto find a flour mill and get wheat ground. I took the tin and wandered through the bylanes of Wardha, searching for the thump-thump rhythm of a chakki.
And thenโfate stepped in.
In the queue at the mill, I saw a familiar faceโone of my BSc classmates from Nagpur. Smiles. Surprise. Laughter. A quick catching up.
Then he asked, โDid you apply for MBBS at Sevagram?โ
Sevagram?
I hadnโt even known there was a third medical college in Vidarbha. Admission cutoffs at Nagpur medical colleges were out of reach for my 60.4%. But here was another door, cracked slightly open.
โLast date must be close,โ he warned.
I ran home, told my father. Next morning, he put on his police uniform and took me straight to the MGIMS office in Sevagram. I still remember walking in beside himโme nervous, he firm.
The last date had passed.
But after a conversation with Principal I.D. Singh, a late application was allowed. I filled it on the spot, paid the โน100 late fee, and walked out clutching an admit card. The exam was just nine days away.
Nine days.
I hadnโt studied Physics. At all.
On exam day in Nagpur, Physics questions looked like Sanskrit. I couldnโt even finish the paper. I walked out with no hope.
And stillโI ranked 5th. All India.
Then came the interview. My cousin in Nagpur had a friendโRajendra Shukla, a committed communistโwho got testimonials from social activists like Saroj Khaparde and Mr. Purohit. They also coached me for the interview, even taught me how to talk about โsocial service.โ
The interview wasnโt in a hall, but in a modest house just opposite the college gate. Inside sat a panel: Principal I.D. Singh, both Behenjis (Dr Sushila Nayar and Manimala Chaudhari) , Santoshraoji Gode (President, Zila Parishad, Wardha), Rafique Zakaria and Pratibha Patil (Cabinet Ministers in Maharashtra state) , a few Gandhian elders, maybe some more.
They asked why I wanted to join MGIMS.
I told the truth. โMy father wants me to be a doctor. This is my last chance.โ
They looked at the testimonials. Someone asked, โWhat did you actually do during the Mominpura communal conflict?โ
โWhatever Rajendra Shukla asked me to,โ I replied.
More questions. Then Pratibha Patil leaned forward, asked softly, โWhat does your father do?โ
โPolice inspector.โ
She smiled.
โThat is social service, boy!โ
The room broke into laughter.
Days passed. I traveled with my father to Hinganghat, where he had been posted. We were staying at the police station, eating whatever Pathak Auntie cooked in the back quarters.
Then the postman arrived.
A telegram.
PROVISIONALLY SELECTED.
The whole police station burst into celebration. Sweets were distributed like it was Diwali. Someone shouted, โEven a policemanโs son can make it!โ
And I? I stood there quietly, telegram in hand, heart hammering in disbelief.
I had made it. ๐๐ฎ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐. ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐. ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ต๐ณ๐ฌ. ๐ฅ๐ผ๐น๐น ๐ก๐ผ. ๐ฐ๐ฐ. I eventually retired as the professor of Pharmacology from BHU, Benares.
But the MGIMS days are unforgettable. They shaped my life.
And thatโs how Iโalmost an engineer, nearly lost in Physics, sent to grind wheatโfound my way to MGIMS.
Not planned. Not predicted.
But unforgettable.
#MGIMS #medicalstudent #sevagram #sushilanayar
