The Sentinel of Matru Seva Sangh
Ratna Mansingh Shekhawat believes that happiness is not a commodity to be bought, but a frequency to be tuned into. For over forty years, she has found that frequency in the wards of Matru Seva Sangh, an institution whose history of service is as old as the Indian freedom struggle. While many of her classmates were securing their futures by “earning more,” Ratna was sinking her roots into the slums of Nagpur. For her, the unsaid gratitude on the face of a poor mother was “motivating enough” to bypass the allure of a private empire.
The Bond of the Old Gang
Ratna was born in Amravati to a business family and schooled at Holy Cross Convent. She arrived at GMC Nagpur in 1973 and quickly formed a bond with a group that would become legendary for its endurance—Sujata Sawangikar, Alison Girling, and Alka Desai. They were the “old gang,” a group that shared everything from hostel rooms to late entries into theory lectures.
After graduation, the group moved together to the Rural Health Center in Saoner for their internship, joined by Vijaya Vitalkar and Rajshree Chaturvedi. This period was a communal immersion into the realities of Indian public health. While others sought the “heroic” specialties, Ratna was drawn to Obstetrics and Gynaecology, eventually obtaining her MD under the supervision of Dr. Meena Deshmukh.
The central tension of Ratna’s life was established early. She chose not to marry, instead dedicating her life to the care of her ailing father and the service of the poor. She was following in the “footsteps of her grandfather,” and in 1983, she joined Matru Seva Sangh immediately after her MD.
A Century of Care
The historical sweep of Ratna’s career is inextricably linked to the legacy of Matru Seva Sangh (MSS). Founded in 1921 by Padmashree Kamalatai Hospet and Venutai Nene, the organization was a “beacon of care” for underprivileged women and newborns. Ratna became a sentinel of this legacy. She has worked in nearly every slum in Nagpur, proving her belief that “people who try to secure their future by earning more are the most insecure people in life”.
Her tenure at MSS has been more than just clinical; it has been institutional. She was the one who motivated the management to start DGO (1999) and DNB (2008) courses, ensuring that the next generation of doctors would be trained in the same ethos of service. She has been a “pillar of Matru Seva Sangh,” overseeing everything from accounts to renovation, ensuring that the 100-year-old institution remained a “centenary of selfless service”.
Happiness doesn’t come from materialistic gains. There is probably no slum in a city where she has not worked. The unsaid gratitude on faces of poor is motivating enough.
The Pillar of Sitabuldi
Even after ceasing private consultations in 2019, Ratna remained a constant at the MSS hospital in Sitabuldi. During the dark days of the Covid pandemic, she was instrumental in initiating a dedicated Covid hospital, ensuring that the underprivileged were not left behind during the global crisis. For this, she and her hospital received a plaque of appreciation from IMA Nagpur.
Ratna’s life is a testament to the idea that a doctor’s worth is measured by the depth of their commitment, not the height of their fees. She has received numerous awards, including the Guide Award of Excellence from NARCHI, but her true satisfaction comes from the continued legacy of the institution she serves.
Today, as she continues to serve as a consultant, she reflects on the loss of her close friend Alka Parikh in 2013—a “deep sense of anguish” that only service can soothe. Ratna Shekhawat remains a woman of the GMC 1973 batch who did not go where the path led, but instead stayed exactly where she was needed most. She has turned her career into a 40-year Sunday service, proving that in the heart of Nagpur, the old gang’s spirit of service is still very much alive.