Personal Narratives

Reflections on family life, personal hobbies, and the intersection of poetry and medicine.

The Mighty West Indies: A Tale of Glory and Decline

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Reading Time: < 1 minuteClive Lloyd, Andy Roberts, Viv Richards and Michael Holding In the eighties, the West Indies was the emperor, the ultimate king In 1983, the slender David faced the mighty Goliath And West Indies lost, thanks to Mohinder Amarnath 1987 arrived, with Haynes, Best, and Carl Hooper’s flair, Yet the team’s decline began, sinking deeper in … Read more

Dr Amit Samarth

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Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe Race Across America (RAAM) is a breathtaking ultra-endurance cycling challenge that stretches its riders to the limits. Covering a distance of 3,000 miles, RAAM takes cyclists on an epic journey from the west coast to the east coast of the United States. The spotlight is on the incredible Dr. Amit Samarth from Nagpur, who … Read more

Dilip Vengsarkar arrives

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Reading Time: 3 minutesIn the winter of 1969, I was only a teenager, aged 13, and had just transferred from Craddock High School to Swavalambi Vidyalaya, Wardha. Television sets were as rare as a hat-trick in cricket back then, so my knowledge of cricket was limited to radio broadcasts and newspapers. However, I was a huge cricket fan, … Read more

Bhaiji – My Father

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Reading Time: 47 minutesWe all fondly addressed him as Bhaiji, a term deeply rooted in the Marwadi language that is used to convey reverence and respect when referring to one’s father. My father overcame a difficult childhood to build a successful life. A man who lived a full and meaningful life, he was a survivor, an entrepreneur, a … Read more

Bai-My Mother

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Reading Time: 24 minutesBai—this is how most Marwaris address their mother. We too followed the tradition. Born to Shri Shriram and Gopi Bai Mundra on 5 January 1925, she was the first of the five children. She came from Barshi, a town in Solapur district of Western Maharashtra. As was the norm those days, she completed her primary … Read more

Aruna bhabhi and Om

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Reading Time: 14 minutesAruna Born to Shri Kisangopalji and Vasanti devi Ruthia on April 11, 1954 in Nagpur, Aruna was the middle sibling— Chandrashekhar (1948-2017) and Anand (1956-2010) were her brothers. She used to live in Kirana Oli, Itwari, then a relatively sparsely populated area. She went to the Nityanand Kanya Vidyalaya, near Balaji Mandir on Dharaskar Road. … Read more

Badibai and Jijaji

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Reading Time: 26 minutesI call her Badibai—the elder mother! Ever since I was born, she treated me with so much love that she richly deserves this name. Badibai was born in Barsi, a town in Solapur district in Western Maharashtra, on 26 February 1942. As was the custom those days, she was delivered at her nani’s home. The … Read more

Jiji

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Reading Time: 32 minutesPushpa, my elder sister, was born on 17 May 1946, fifteen months before India became independent. I always called her Jiji, and never by first name. She was the third of the six siblings, and like all of them; she too was delivered at home that my father rented in Marwari Mohalla, Wardha. Education Class … Read more

Ten Thousand kms

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Reading Time: 2 minutesTen thousand. This five-numerical figure has fascinated people for a long time. As an example, Sunil Gavaskar’s 10,000th run. I can vividly recall Gavaskar nudging a quick single through the slips to become the first cricketer to reach 10,000 test runs. I had watched that moment on TV—the fourth test match against Pakistan at Ahmedabad … Read more