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 …
Sevagram
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 …
๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ
In 1970, a young man arrived at Gandhijiโs ashram in Sevagram. A year later, he joined a medical college, not as a student but as an artist. Although he left the college after twenty-five years, he left behind footprints in the black cotton soil of Sevagram. The medical institution was ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ, and the young man …
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ต๐ด๐ฏ: ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ
In 1982, I began my medical career as a senior resident in Medicine. By 1983, while living in Wardha with my parents, 8 km away from the medical college, I began teaching the 1979 batch of students from MGIMS. That summer, Sevagram faced a severe water shortage. Wells dried up, rivers shrank, overhead tanks emptied, …
A Handkerchief’s Tale: Memories with Indira Gandhi
After my recent Facebook post, Dr. Bajrang Prasad Pandey, an MGIMS graduate from the 1970 batch who later became a Pharmacology professor at BHU, Varanasi, shared an interesting story about Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s visit to Sevagram in the early 1970s. Mrs Gandhi had come to MGIMS to speak to a handful of medical students …
๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐
A medical college, known by any other name, would still produce MBBS and MDs. Wasnโt it William Shakespeare who wrote in Romeo and Juliet: ‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’ Well, it does matter. ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ certainly sounds better than ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ. Back in 1969, …
๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐, ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ: ๐ ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ
In November 1981, I earned my MD in Medicine from the Government Medical College, Nagpur. Guided by Dr. BS Chaubey, known for his razor-sharp mind, clinical acumen, and rapid-fire diagnoses, I underwent rigorous training. His witty and incisive remarks during ward rounds were a hallmark of his teaching style. Spending two-and-half years in Ward 23 …
At the helm: MGIMS Student’s Section Chief
In the early seventies, when MGIMS was just beginning, many people, not just doctors and administrators, played important roles in its growth. Now, as these pioneers retire, their stories are at risk of being forgotten. It’s crucial to record and preserve their contributions for future generations. Dr. Bipin Amin (1975) recently requested me to write …