Science, Stories and Sevagram: A Physician-Teacher's Reflections
SP Kalantri Reading Time: 2 minutesDr. B.S. Chaubey. A name that evoked both awe and trepidation. He was fire and iceโblazing with intensity, chilling with his stare, his mind a scalpel that could slice through the most complex diagnoses in a few minutes. For twenty-five years, he reigned over the Department of Medicine at GMC Nagpur, shaping generations of physicians. … Read more
Reading Time: 2 minutesIt all started on a whimโthose small, unexpected moments that often turn into the most memorable. One winter morning in 1986, while making my rounds at the hospital in Sevagram, an unusual thought crossed my mind: I should learn German. The idea seemed absurd, even to me. But then I learned that Mrs. Sunita Kawale, … Read more
Reading Time: 3 minutesShankar sat on the old wooden bench outside his workshop, absently rubbing his rough, unshaven chin. The bright sparks of welding had once lit up his face, but now it was worn, lined with worry. He had battled difficult customers, unpaid bills, and broken machines, but this was different. This was a fight he knew … Read more
Reading Time: 3 minutesRadhika was never one for outbursts. But that day, as she lay in the hospital bed, her voice shattered the silence like a storm. Her eyes burned with fury. โHow dare you talk to me?โ she shouted, her chest rising and falling with anger. โGet out! Donโt come near me! Donโt touch me!โ Her words … Read more
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe namesโKabir, Ramdas, Vivekanand, Guru Nanak, Ramkrishna, Dharmanand, Martin Luther King, Patel, and Birlaโare more than just colonies in Sevagram. They hold memories of beginnings, struggles, friendships, and quiet acts of courage. Each name has a story to tell. Yesterday, a thought crossed my mind, almost by accident Dr. Sanjay Diwan had asked whether the … Read more
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe old principal’s office, once the heart of MGIMS in 1969, is now nothing more than a pile of rubble. Today it lies in ruins. In 1969, when MGIMS began, the principal’s office was a plain two-room building. It stood quietly next to the old hospital, where the Community Medicine department is now, almost touching … Read more
Reading Time: 2 minutesNostalgia has a way of sneaking up on you. You try to avoid comparing the “good old days” to the present, but somehow, you end up doing it anyway. The younger generation hates it. They roll their eyes when we compare the 60s and 70s to today. But as you age, those comparisons just happenโwhether … Read more
Reading Time: 2 minutesโStop this vomiting,โ she said firmly, her voice steady enough to make even the nurse stop fidgeting with the clipboard. โEase the pain a little. Once I gather some strength, Iโll take you to my village. Youโll sit on the mud floor, eating from banana leaves. Hot jowar bhakris, fresh off the chullah, with just … Read more
Reading Time: 2 minutesPandurang (name changed) is not a guru. He doesnโt stand on a stage, preaching to thousands. He isnโt a YouTuber making millions from daily wisdom. He hasnโt written books, nor made money from his teachings. He is a daily wage laborer from a village near Hinganghat, a 73-year-old man who never went beyond primary school. … Read more
Reading Time: 4 minutesDonโt forget to eat that ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐,โ he said again, his voice steady now. โI will,โ I replied with a smile, stepping away. Only a week earlier, his son had wheeled him into the hospital OPD, visibly anxious. A driver in our hospital, his face betrayed his helplessness as he pushed the wheelchair into my … Read more