सजन रे, झूठ मत बोलो,
ख़ुदा के पास जाना है।
न गाड़ी है, न घोड़ा है,
वहाँ तो पैदल ही जाना है।
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
Badibai: A Life in Stories
I call her Badibai—the elder mother. It is a heavy title, perhaps, for a woman who is my sister, but from the moment I opened my eyes to the world, her affection has been so encompassing that the name simply stuck, fitting her as naturally as a well-worn cotton sari.
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.