Science, Stories and Sevagram: A Physician-Teacher's Reflections
Yesterday evening I watched India vs New Zealand (T20) at VCA Stadium, Jamtha, with my son and my granddaughters. Three generations, one match, and my mind full of old memories. It took me back to another IndiaโNew Zealand game I saw in Nagpur long ago, in 1969, at the old VCA ground at Sadar. I … Read more
(4 February 1937 โ 19 January 2026) I have just learnt that Dr. Madhao Dattatraya Khapre passed away this evening in Nagpur. He served MGIMS as Professor and Head of Pharmacology for many yearsโfrom February 1971 to August 1987. Outside the campus, he was a devoted senior member of the Shri Dnyaneshwar Madhuradvait Sampradaya. In … Read more
I call her Badibaiโthe elder mother. It is a heavy title, perhaps, for a woman who is my sister, but from the moment I opened my eyes to the world, her affection has been as encompassing and natural as a well-worn cotton sari.
Nostalgia. I use this word often. Perhaps it comes with age, a habit of looking back, of holding on to the past. But sometimes I wonder. Am I using it right? The ending -algia makes me pause. In medicine, algos means pain. Every day, I prescribe analgesics to my patients, medicines that take the algia … Read more
Last week, I shared a post about Surendra Gujarโthe ever-present photographer who arrived in Sevagram in 1970 and went on to serve MGIMS for more than two and a half decades. In 1997, he turned off the flash and walked into the light. He was more than just a photographer. With a simple camera, steady … Read more
Sevagram, 1970. Dr. Sushila Nayar, ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ช ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ซ๐ช, stands among medical students, passing a basket of waste from hand to hand. This was ๐ด๐ฉ๐ณ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข๐ข๐ฏ. Not an occasional gesture, but a way of life on campus.She arrived in Sevagram in 1938, fresh from Lady Hardinge, to treat Gandhijiโs high blood pressure. But what she truly learned here … Read more
In August 1969, the first batch of medical students arrived in Sevagram. Sixty of them, to be preciseโforty-six boys and fourteen girlsโarmed with dreams, duffel bags, and probably very few clues. But there was one small problem: Where exactly was the college? And more urgently: Where were they going to live? The answer lay just … Read more
Dr. Shivnarayan Acharya and I share a bond from our days as alumni of GMC Nagpur. We both did MBBS and MD around the same time, though our paths took different turns after that. He became a nephrologist in Nagpur, while I focused on teaching and serving in a rural medical school in Sevagram. Over … Read more
In modern medicine, we often face a common problem: too much testing, diagnosing, and treating. We tend to believe that more tests and treatments mean better care. But sometimes, even simple tests can make things more confusing instead of clear. This confusion can lead to delays in making important decisions, more treatments than necessary, and … Read more
Dr. Srinivas Gokulnath (Srini) is a aerospace medicine specialist working with the Army in Nashik. But his true passion lies in pushing the limits of human endurance. In 2017, Srini etched his name in the annals of cycling history, as he embarked on the formidable RAAM challenge. This gruelling race, renowned for its relentless demands, … Read more