Reflections on Medicine and Life by Dr. S.P. Kalantri
If you ask any MGIMS student from the 1970s or ’80s about their Dean, or even most of their professors, the memories may be hazy. Names of many classmates might have slipped away too. But mention Babulal, and the recollections come rushing back. In those days, Babulal’s canteen was their 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘢, their little world in … Read the essay
This morning in Kolkata, I finally checked off the first—and most cherished—stop on my list: a visit to Dr. S.K. Ghosh. For nearly two decades in Sevagram, he wasn’t just my next-door neighbor. He was a dear friend, a quiet philosopher, a family confidant, and a guide who brought warmth and wisdom into everyday life. … Read the essay
Yesterday, I was in Kolkata for just a few hours. I called her on the phone and told her I was in Alipore. “Alipore, sir?” she said, “I’ll come right over.” She hadn’t even finished rounding on her patients, but she made time to meet me—for a single cup of tea. I hadn’t realised how … Read the essay
It was 1970. A restless, curious man walked into the MGIMS campus, a camera bouncing on his chest and his eyes already chasing the light. The college was still young, still growing. But Surendra Gurjar, newly hired and unsure, already saw stories. Stories in light, in shadows, in faces. He didn’t pose people. He didn’t … Read the essay
Bombay, 1975. The air was salty, the streets bustling, and a young doctor stood quietly outside the gates of St. George’s Hospital. Fresh out of internship at MGIMS, Sevagram, he had no roadmap for his future. Sevagram did not offer postgraduate training—its founder Dr. Sushila Nayar wanted her students to serve in villages. But government … Read the essay