SP Kalantri
SP Kalantri
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 …
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, …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
In 1969, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited MGIMS. She spoke to a small group of medical students in the Adhyayan Mandir near the old Kasturba hospital. I’m unsure about the occasion of Indira Gandhi’s visit, as I was only a ninth-grade student at Swavalambi Vidyalaya in Wardha at that time. This morning, I stumbled upon …
After sharing Bele’s story yesterday, several MGIMS alumni requested that I describe Premdas. Today, I had the opportunity to interview him, and what I uncovered is truly fascinating. Like Bele, Premdas entered the MGIMS hostel in ’72, originating from Pujai village. Before discovering his place in the Boys’ hostel, he also worked as a daily …
MGIMS sprang to life during the monsoons of 1969. In the early years, there were no proper hostels. Boys stayed in the Patel hostel, and girls in the nursing hostel. These were not true hostels, but simple shelters that provided a roof over their heads. In 1972, eight hostel blocks were built, labeled A through …
๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ด๐ฝ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ. ๐ ๐ถ๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ฟ A fortnight ago, Dr. Mihir Wechalekar, an alumnus of MGIMS, class of 1992, received the prestigious 2024 Mid-Career Excellence Award in Australia. This honour was bestowed upon him at the combined New Zealand Australian Rheumatology Association Annual Scientific Meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand. This …