The 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 lettersโ๐s. I arrived in the summer of 1982, stepping into a world where initials carried more weight than full names, where the …
Sevagram
A Lab, A Leader and A Legend: The Tale of Tukaram Gawande
In 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 …
Holi and Dr. M.L. Sharma
Holi in Sevagram always brings back memories of Dr. M. L. Sharmaโthe man who taught pharmacology with flair and led MGIMS through its formative years, shaping the college well beyond its adolescence. In the classroom, Dr. Sharma was a performer. Anyone who learned pharmacology from him will tell youโit wasnโt just a subject; it was …
What is in a Name…
In todayโs world, naming a baby is almost a competitive sport. Parents meticulously curate lists, debate meanings, consult astrologers, and even conduct online polls before settling on the perfect name. But in the 1970s, in the sleepy yet bustling medical campus of Sevagram, things wereโฆ different. Dr. Shashi Prabha Ahujaโbetter known as Dr. S.P. Ahujaโwas …
When Medicine Lost, Obstetrics Won!
The girl was born in Gondia, the youngest of six, the apple of her fatherโs eye. While her family thrived in business, she set her sights on medicine. She pursued her MBBS at Government Medical College, Nagpur. The year was 1966. During her undergraduate years, one man recognized her brillianceโDr. G.S. Sainani, the head of …
Can One Conversation change the Destiny?
Can a doctorโa family friendโsteer you from engineering to medicine? Can a few words make you trade certainty for the unknown? Yes. Dr. R.V. Wardekar did just that. But he was no ordinary doctor. In the 1940s, he left the bustling metropolis of Mumbai for the quiet simplicity of Sevagram โand reshaped public health. In …
The Dean, The Lambretta and The Dusty road
In the good old days, life in Sevagram was simple. The roads were dusty, the air always hot, and the village felt far removed from bustling cities. Yet amidst this simplicity, something rare filled the airโhumility. Once upon a time, the heads of departments and deans were more than just figures of authority. They were …
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ต๐ณ๐ฌ๐: ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐
That old black phoneโsolid, heavy, a relic of a time when voices travelled through wires, not airwaves. Each number on its dial, a small circle, waiting for a finger to spin it. No speed dial, no saved contactsโjust memory and precision. Calls were brief, words measured. Every minute cost money. The phone perched on a …
A Walk Down Memory Lane: The Forgotten Colonies of MGIMS
The namesโKabir, Ramdas, Vivekanand, Guru Nanak, Ramkrishna, Dharmanand, Martin Luther King, Patel, and Birlaโare more than just colonies in Sevagram. They hold memories of beginnings, struggles, friendships, and quiet acts of courage. Each name has a story to tell. Yesterday, a thought crossed my mind, almost by accident Dr. Sanjay Diwan had asked whether the …
A Hole in Her Heart
It was a typical Thursday, my OPD day. After completing rounds, I settled into the clinic, surrounded by my medical residents. The waiting hall buzzed with life, crowded with patients, many standing near the door, each waiting their turn. Mornings like these felt routine, but they never lacked purpose. Our hospital, a beacon of hope …