Science, Stories and Sevagram: A Physician-Teacher's Reflections
SP Kalantri Reading Time: 3 minutesOnce, 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 others—wrapped in the routines of daily life, with little warning of what lay ahead. She married Ramesh, a mason with … Read more
Reading Time: 2 minutesRemember 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
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhen Dr. Kush Kumar first walked into Sevagram in the blistering summer of 1976, conversations stopped mid-sentence. He was hard to miss—tall, broad-shouldered, eyes probing behind thick spectacles. His English was flawless—precise 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
Reading Time: 4 minutesShe was just 33. At first glance, she looked heavy. And she was—79 kilos. That’s 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
Reading Time: 4 minutesShri 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
Reading Time: 8 minutesFriday, 26 January 2024. Republic Day. Dawn broke, quiet and cold. I woke up at 5 a.m., as I always did. Ashwini had taken a late-night flight from Pune, delayed for hours. His plane finally touched down in Nagpur at 3:30 a.m. By the time he reached home, it was 5. I was already at … Read more
Reading Time: 2 minutesUSAID, born in 1961, is no more. Its fate was sealed by President Trump, one of the many sweeping decisions he made soon after ascending to power. Why should this news bother MGIMS or Sevagram? It should. MGIMS was born in 1969, but without USAID’s help, it might have perished in infancy—struggling to survive, gasping … Read more
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe corridors of the Medicine Department in Sevagram in the early 1980s pulsed with an odd sort of rhythm, a melody not of footsteps or hurried whispers, but of letters. Not just any letters—𝙋s. I arrived in the summer of 1982, stepping into a world where initials carried more weight than full names, where the … Read more
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn the late 1960s, a young man stepped off a dusty bus in Sevagram. Tukaram Sitaram Gawande had traveled over 200 kilometers, seeking relief from a stubborn fistula. Kasturba Hospital, known for its Ayurvedic treatments, offered hope. The cure worked. But Sevagram offered something more. He stayed. Fate, however, had its own script. In April … Read more
Reading Time: 10 minutesPhysicians vary greatly: some prioritize art, others science; some are humble, others overconfident; some are bold, others cautious; some trust intuition, others data. Where did Dr. A.P. Jain fit among them? Nowhere and everywhere. He was art and science, instinct and intellect. He revered the power of physical signs but never dismissed modern technology. He … Read more