It indeed hit him like a bolt out of blue. Little did Dr. Rakesh Khera realise that when he was not able to use his hand while operating a computer, a large clot had obstructed the middle cerebral artery. The clot looked ominous, threatening to deprive a large chunk of his brain of its blood …
Written by
SP Kalantri
What a thrilling experience
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness? So said John Steinbeck. True! Only a month ago, I took part in a 200 km cycling event and failed incredibly—I was forced to quit before I could finish the ride. This time I succeeded incredibly—I was able to …
First Successful 200 km Brevet
This was a moment I was day-dreaming for over a month. On the Monday morning, 12 September, as the clock struck five, I achieved what many had thought was an impossible goal to accomplish. I am so happy that I was able to translate my dream into a reality. To do so, I rode all-night …
Malaria and Sri Lanka
We ought to congratulate Sri Lanka for eliminating malaria. Yes, there is no malaria in Sri Lanka. The success story is remarkable for several reasons. The country is poor. Eight of ten Sri Lankans live in villages. The rural milieu provides an ideal environment for malaria mosquitoes to breed, grow and multiply. And the government …
Dr Kishore Taori
Dr. Kishor Taori died today. A rare neurological illness—detected barely a year ago—took his breath away. Kishor led the Department of Radiology, GMC, Nagpur; chaired the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) and presided over the Indian Radiology and Imaging Association. He would have completed 60, on 27 September. Kishor belonged to the class of 1974, GMC, …
Tryst with Brevet
The Anatomy of a Long Distance Riding Brevet—I had not even heard this word until November 2015. Nor did I know how to pronounce it right. Last winter, the word found its way into my vocabulary when Ashwini—my son— successfully completed 200 and 300-km brevet in Nagpur and prided himself in being called a Randonneur. …
Warora wears me out
Drenched and drained—and palpably tired—I parked my bicycle and slumped down into the bed. I had every reason to indulge in this idiosyncrasy. I had achieved what I thought was unachievable. A few months ago, when I began cycling—a maturity onset disorder—little did I know that I would be able to complete a 150 km …
Early birds…
Today, Sevagram Cyclones—a bunch of bicycle aficionados—motivated each other to set mobile alarms at 4:45 am to get up early on a Sunday morning. The plan was to take a two-way 60 km bike ride—from Sevagram to Bor Dam. So, Sumedh Manikpure (a medical student), Hardik More (an intern), Nikita Bhugra (a resident), Ashwini Kalantri …
Meeting Dr Desikan
Dr. KV Desikan. Ninety-one-year-old man. This morning, I spent an hour and a half with him—forgetting our age differences—and spoke to him on a variety of topics—his tryst with Sevagram, his leprosy work, his medical maladies and how he copes with them, and the modern doctors. With organisational and administrative skills and energy as enormous …
Dr Varun Bhargava and Babulal
Varun Bhargava (VB) came to Sevagram in 1969. He belonged to the first batch of MGIMS. Four years later, he graduated from MGIMS, went to PGI, Chandigarh to earn his MD (Medicine) and established a highly successful practice in Nagpur. His 100-bed hospital—driven by ethics and science— evokes a level of respect and admiration that …