Reflections on Medicine and Life by Dr. S.P. Kalantri
From an interview dominated by questions about banana cultivation to a legendary standoff involving a half-bottle of rum, Dr. Mangalsingh Rajput’s journey through the inaugural batch of MGIMS was defined by a cheerful defiance of convention—proving that the “Sevagram spirit” had room for both the disciplined scholar and the resourceful rebel.
Once a battalion sergeant who dreamed of an army uniform, Dr. Girish Mulkar redirected his sense of discipline toward medicine after a quiet conversation with his father. Over thirty-two years at a cement plant in Chhattisgarh, he proved that a doctor’s stethoscope could be a more powerful tool for peace than any command, transforming a landscape of industrial unrest into one of community trust.
Born in a cowshed and raised in a household of “chosen poverty,” Dr. Balkrishna Maheshwari’s journey to medicine was a series of narrow escapes—from a borrowed khadi shirt at his interview to a rescued seat after a clerical error—proving that at Sevagram, the most enduring lessons were often those found in the grace of others.
Known affectionately as “Chhotu,” Dr. Vilas Kanikdale’s path led from a rain-soaked interview in Sevagram to the front lines of the global smallpox eradication campaign and a distinguished international career in radiology—carrying with him a legacy of medical resolve that spanned three generations and several continents.
From an ancestral village in Wardha to the inaugural wards of MGIMS, Dr. Ratnamala Golhar’s life was built on pivotal moments of listening—first to her mother’s revelation of her father’s dying wish, and later to her own heart, as she navigated the professional and personal challenges of a pioneering medical career.