Science, Stories and Sevagram: A Physician-Teacher's Reflections
This afternoon, while leafing through the brittle pages of a dusty medical journal, I paused. There it wasโa paper from ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ข๐ฏ ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ป๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ, dated August 1942. The author: Dr. Sushila Nayar. I blinked. Could it be ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ Sushila Nayar? The physician who walked beside Gandhiji and founded ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ MGIMS? The young doctor who became … Read more
“Enough is enough,” thundered Dr. Sushila Nayar, her voice cutting through the hall.“No more free PG seats for MGIMS boys and girls. If they want postgraduate degrees, they must first serve two years in the villages.” She meant it. In 1969, Dr. Nayar had built MGIMS on a dream: to raise doctors who would live … Read more
Every institution has its unsung buildersโsome lay bricks, others teach, a few lead. And then there are those who, in quiet corners, type history into being. One keystroke at a time. Mr. Manilal Pathak was one such man. He was born on 5 February 1944 in Jethwara, a village in Uttar Pradeshโs Pratapgarh district. His … Read more
22nd April. One Year. Exactly a year ago, in the quiet hours of the morning, Dhirubhai left us. He was 86. It still feels unreal. Time slows when I think of him. When Dr. Sushila Nayar invited him in 1982 to take charge of MGIMS, he hesitated. โI couldnโt even pronounce the names of half … Read more
(December 9, 1931 โ April 19, 2025)Dr. Keshao Narayan Ingleyโknown to all as Dr. K.N. Ingleyโwas born on December 9, 1931, in the dusty heartland of Buldhana. As the eldest of five siblings, he learned early what it meant to lead, to share, and to wait his turn. The home was always fullโvoices echoing through … Read more
Once, in the bustle of Ashok Nagar, Wardha, near the now-quiet ruins of the old Model High School, lived a woman named Pramila. Born on October 3, 1976, in Gondia, she grew up like many othersโwrapped in the routines of daily life, with little warning of what lay ahead. She married Ramesh, a mason with … Read more
Remember Rama Jagtap? You should. The boy from Hinganghat village, the one who worked in the Paediatrics OPD in the late 1970s. Thin, eager, barely twenty, with eyes that held more hope than fear. He had just married. Life was beginning to bloom when a bolt struck from nowhere. Without warning, his services were terminated. … Read more
When Dr. Kush Kumar first walked into Sevagram in the blistering summer of 1976, conversations stopped mid-sentence. He was hard to missโtall, broad-shouldered, eyes probing behind thick spectacles. His English was flawlessโprecise when he spoke, elegant when he wrote. On rounds, his questions made residents squirm. In the OR, he moved like a man in … Read more
She was just 33. At first glance, she looked heavy. And she wasโ79 kilos. Thatโs not what we usually see. Most women who come to us are thin, often undernourished, their bodies shaped by years of poverty and hard work. But her weight was hiding something. A lump in her breast had grown quietly for … Read more
Shri Prabhakar Joseph, affectionately known as Prabhakarji, was a beacon of humility, dedication, and unwavering commitment to Gandhian principles. His journey from a modest background in Andhra Pradesh to becoming a pivotal figure at Sevagram Ashram is a testament to the transformative power of selfless service. Born into a community where meat consumption, including carrion, … Read more