Science, Stories and Sevagram: A Physician-Teacher's Reflections
Last week, I shared a post about Surendra Gujar—the ever-present photographer who arrived in Sevagram in 1970 and went on to serve MGIMS for more than two and a half decades. In 1997, he turned off the flash and walked into the light. He was more than just a photographer. With a simple camera, steady … Read more
Sevagram, 1970. Dr. Sushila Nayar, 𝘉𝘢𝘥𝘪 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘪, stands among medical students, passing a basket of waste from hand to hand. This was 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘥𝘢𝘢𝘯. Not an occasional gesture, but a way of life on campus.She arrived in Sevagram in 1938, fresh from Lady Hardinge, to treat Gandhiji’s high blood pressure. But what she truly learned here … Read more
If you ask any MGIMS student from the 1970s or ’80s about their Dean, or even most of their professors, the memories may be hazy. Names of many classmates might have slipped away too. But mention Babulal, and the recollections come rushing back. In those days, Babulal’s canteen was their 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘢, their little world in … Read more
This morning in Kolkata, I finally checked off the first—and most cherished—stop on my list: a visit to Dr. S.K. Ghosh. For nearly two decades in Sevagram, he wasn’t just my next-door neighbor. He was a dear friend, a quiet philosopher, a family confidant, and a guide who brought warmth and wisdom into everyday life. … Read more
Yesterday, I was in Kolkata for just a few hours. I called her on the phone and told her I was in Alipore. “Alipore, sir?” she said, “I’ll come right over.” She hadn’t even finished rounding on her patients, but she made time to meet me—for a single cup of tea. I hadn’t realised how … Read more
It was 1970. A restless, curious man walked into the MGIMS campus, a camera bouncing on his chest and his eyes already chasing the light. The college was still young, still growing. But Surendra Gurjar, newly hired and unsure, already saw stories. Stories in light, in shadows, in faces. He didn’t pose people. He didn’t … Read more
Bombay, 1975. The air was salty, the streets bustling, and a young doctor stood quietly outside the gates of St. George’s Hospital. Fresh out of internship at MGIMS, Sevagram, he had no roadmap for his future. Sevagram did not offer postgraduate training—its founder Dr. Sushila Nayar wanted her students to serve in villages. But government … Read more
87 and still going strong. I saw 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗹𝗷𝗶 yesterday in the hospital—he had come for his routine check-up. After the consultation, we sat down for a long chat. The moment MGIMS is mentioned, his eyes light up. Tea. 𝘈𝘭𝘰𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢. His hot, cardamom-flavoured tea and crisp, spicy aloo bondas were more than just snacks. And … Read more
In 1969, Dr. P.L. Vaishwanar—Project Officer and Head of Physiology at GMC Nagpur—arrived in Sevagram to help build India’s first rural medical college. He wasn’t focused only on bricks and mortar. He wanted to build people. Before the college could welcome students, it needed a team—not just doctors and professors, but technicians and attendants who … Read more
Dr. Shyam Babhulkar (Batch of 1969) It was the summer of 1969. I had just cleared B.Sc. Part I from J.B. Science College, Wardha, when I spotted an ad in Tarun Bharat, a Marathi daily. A new medical college was starting in Sevagram. I applied on impulse. Soon came the interview call. Now, I was … Read more