Heritage & History Archives

Echoes of Abadan: When Iran Was a Haven for Sevagram’s Healers

The images flashing across our screens over the last three days are grim. The skies over the Middle East are streaked with the exhaust of ballistic missiles. The geopolitical chess match between the USA, Israel, and Iran has escalated into intense bombardment, leaving cities damaged, civilians terrified, and world peace hanging by a dangerously frayed … Read the essay

The Voice in the Garden

Yesterday morning, the MGIMS campus was very quiet. It was Badi Behenji’s death anniversary. We gathered around her samadhi in the garden—students and staff sat on the grass, and the elders took the chairs. The Sevagram winter air was sharp and clear. The Friday prayers had just ended. Usually, we leave after the readings from … Read the essay

Remembering Badi Behenji: The Soul of Sevagam

We pause today to remember our beloved Dr. Sushila Nayar—fondly remembered by generations as Badi Behenji—on the anniversary of her passing. Looking back at records from 1938, it is humbling to glimpse the world she stepped into. At a time when India had barely ten medical colleges, she was one of just 51 women in … Read the essay

Gabbar of Sevagram

This morning an old man stepped into my office, his jacket sagging, a faded muffler loose around his neck. His wooden tulsi beads had deepened in colour with age. He studied me, then joined his palms with a shy, familiar smile.

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The Scooters that carried Sevagram’s Heart to Jhansi

The bustle of any election, even today, makes me think of an older, quieter contest. I recall the Lok Sabha battles of Dr. Sushila Nayar, Behenji, fought far away in Jhansi. This was long after she had begun her great work, establishing the Medical College, right here in our own Sevagram.

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