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 didnโt pose people. He didnโt …
Written by
SP Kalantri
A Lumbar Pucture and a Standing Ovation
Bombay, 1975. The air was salty, the streets bustling, and a young doctor stood quietly outside the gates of St. Georgeโs Hospital. Fresh out of internship at MGIMS, Sevagram, he had no roadmap for his future. Sevagram did not offer postgraduate trainingโits founder Dr. Sushila Nayar wanted her students to serve in villages. But government …
87 and still going strong
87 and still going strong. I saw ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐๐น๐ฎ๐น๐ท๐ถ yesterday in the hospitalโhe 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. ๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข. His hot, cardamom-flavoured tea and crisp, spicy aloo bondas were more than just snacks. And …
The First Building Blocks of MGIMS ( Part 5)
In 1969, Dr. P.L. VaishwanarโProject Officer and Head of Physiology at GMC Nagpurโarrived in Sevagram to help build Indiaโs first rural medical college. He wasnโt focused only on bricks and mortar. He wanted to build people. Before the college could welcome students, it needed a teamโnot just doctors and professors, but technicians and attendants who …
MGIMS: Admission Stories from the 1970s
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 …
A Train Ride that Changed Everything
๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ: (๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ) In my last post, I shared how Dr. Sushila Nayar secured approvals from the central and state governments to start MGIMS in 1969โand how, against all odds, she managed to get an unexpected โน2 crore grant from USAID. For a moment, it felt like the hardest part was over. But …
Even a Policeman’s Son can become a Doctor
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. …
The Birth of a Dream ( MGIMS Stroy Part 3)
In my last post, I told you how deputy prime minister Morarji Desai in 1968 agreed to fund a medical college in rural India. But there was a catchโa formidable one. The hospital would need to raise 25% of the funds itself. Not just once, but every year. Forever. The formula was simple on paper: …
The Political Storm and the Birth of MGIMS ( Part 2)
Between 1966 and 1969, Indian politics was a storm in motion. Indira Gandhiโonce dismissed by Ram Manohar Lohia as a โgoongi gudiyaโ (dumb doll)โdefied expectations. Not only did she win the 1967 general election, but she also consolidated power and emerged as a formidable Prime Minister. The Congress party soon split: the old guard became …
The Birth of a Dream: How MGIMS Sevagram came into Being
In May 1964, after Prime Minister Nehru died, Lal Bahadur Shastri assumed office. One day, during an informal conversation, Shastriji shared a concern with Union Health Minister Dr. Sushila Nayar: โWe produce thousands of doctors every year, yet our villages remain without care. These doctors are trained in cities. And stay there. Why canโt we …