Sevagram in the 1970s had a canteen that served as a bustling hub of activity for students, staff, and visitors. The canteen provided a space where people could grab a quick bite, catch up on the latest gossip, or simply enjoy Babulalji Ganvir’s generosity. If there’s one thing that people remember Babulalji for, it’s his …
Sevagram
You’re only as good as your last haircut
During the seventies, Sevagram was inhabited by simple folks, dealing with their lives in a uniquely engaging, humorous and humane manner. The medical college had just started and boys and girls from Ambala to Ahmednagar and Shahjahanpur to Sambhaji Nagar arrived in the village. Sevagram pleased many no end. Many were overjoyed, but many were …
Stepping Down…
This morning, I hung up my boots and stepped down as the Medical Superintendent (MS) of MGIMS Hospital. Twelve years ago, I reluctantly took on this role. As a physician-teacher with no prior management experience, the early days were daunting. It felt like being thrust into Test cricket at Sabina Park without ever having played …
Gulab Singh Baghel
Sevagram General Store: The One-Stop Shop for Village Life In Sevagram in the mid-seventies, the medical college was just six years old. There were neither big showrooms nor fancy shops, no cinemas or luxury shopping malls. Only one bus would ply between Sevagram and Wardha; a cycle rickshaw would take an hour and a half …
Dr. Anant Ranade
Dr. Anant Ranade arrived in Sevagram in 1942, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s vision. The Ranade family hailed from Jamkhandi, a city in Bagalkot district, Karnataka, once ruled by Shrimant Gopalrao Patwardhan. The rulers of Jamkhandi bore the title ‘Raja’ and belonged to the Patwardhan dynasty. Dr. Ranade’s father, Damodar Ranade, served as the Diwan of …
Wasudeo Deodhe- The Sevagram Man Friday
Wasudeo. Does this name evoke a memory of a person who you met and spoke to during your Sevagram days? You surely would recall him—this man- Friday from the dean’s office knew the art of getting the impossible done. He spent four decades in Sevagram (1969- 2007) and is still remembered for his work. I spoke …
What is in a name?
“What is in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Shakespeare’s famous quote is a cliché – a tired, stale phrase or idiom that, because of overuse, has lost its impact. Names matter. A name identifies us. It does so much more: it is our public face. Over the last …
Ulhas, the writer
Some physicians are known to write creatively, taking up pen alongside their stethoscopes. Ulhas Jajoo belongs to that creed. A Writer-physician or a physician-writer. This week, Ulhas had his four Hindi books published. He writes about the people he admired, and those who shaped his life and times. He also picks up thoughts and narrations …
Palliative care at Sevagram
Two years ago, Dr. Sankha Mitra—an oncologist who is keen to reduce inequity, injustice and alleviate healthcare-induced poverty— had visited Sevagram. He spoke a sentence that was an eye-opener for the audience. “In India, the poor die in agony in neglect; the middle-class die in agony in ignorance and the rich die in agony on …
Repairing the heart defects
One in 200. A chance that a mother would deliver a baby with heart disease. And some of these heart defects are serious enough to warrant early intervention. A piece of good news is that some holes in the heart, stenosed valves and abnormal connections between the great arteries can be repaired without open heart …