Surendra Bhandarkar’s life is defined by a series of quiet, firm pivots. The first was academic: moving from the science benches of Mohota College to the surgical theaters of Nagpur. The second was professional: choosing the niche of Tuberculosis and Chest diseases in an era when most sought the broader prestige of General Medicine. The third, and most profound, was spiritual: a conversion to Christianity in 1980 that redirected his leisure, his work, and his sense of purpose.
From Mohota to the Mission
Surendra was born in Nagpur, the son of a government servant. His path to GMC Nagpur was paved at the Mohota College of Science—a fertile ground for the 1973 batch. Incredibly, thirteen students from Mohota entered GMC together, a cohort that included Harshvardhan Sheorey and Arvind Dani. This group represented the rising middle class of Nagpur, the children of administrative workers who saw medicine as the ultimate meritocratic ladder.
After graduation, Surendra’s journey took him to the rural heart of Maharashtra. He interned at Narkhed and then moved to Ambajogai for house jobs in Medicine, TB, and Psychiatry. In 1983, he returned to Nagpur to obtain his DTCD. TB was, and remains, the “great shadow” of Indian public health. Choosing to specialize in it required a specific kind of patience—dealing with chronic illness, social stigma, and the long, slow arc of recovery.
His next stop was Ahmednagar, a “Mission city” with a deep history of Christian service. He worked at the Mission Hospital for eight years. This period was formative. The Mission Hospital model—which prioritized the poor and operated on a philosophy of “enough” rather than “more”—deeply influenced him. It was here that Surendra found a home for both his medical skills and his burgeoning faith.
The Meher Physician
In 1980, Surendra embraced Christianity. This was not a move of social convenience but a deep, internal realignment. Since then, his life has been anchored by the Sunday service. Over three decades, very few Sundays have slipped past without him being in church. This spiritual focus manifested in his work at the Meher free dispensary.
The Meher dispensary is a space where the corporatization of Indian medicine stops at the door. Here, Surendra provides free diagnostic and curative services to the poor. In a country where general practice has seen a decline in respect and a rise in cost, Surendra’s work at the dispensary is a throwback to the doctor as a community pillar.
I am still working for the free dispensary and would continue to work as long as I could. I am living a life, full of content and happiness, and I want to help as many people as I can.
This sense of contentment is rare among specialists of his generation, many of whom are caught in the “treadmill” of private hospital competition. Surendra has avoided this by keeping his needs simple and his mission clear. He understands that for a chest specialist, the act of “breathing easy” is both a clinical goal for his patients and a spiritual state for himself.
A Family of Law and Science
Surendra’s wife, Hemlata, was a vital partner in this life of service. A nurse by training, she served as a Sister in Charge at the Ahmednagar District Hospital until her retirement in 2016. Their sons have pursued diverse paths that reflect the changing India of the 21st century: Sameer in Intellectual Property Law and Sarang in Microbiology and travel entrepreneurship.
At 70, Surendra continues his private practice and his work at the dispensary. He remains a man of the GMC 1973 batch who did not seek the “sweep” of history in the metros, but found it in the quiet service of a district town. He is a testament to the idea that a successful life is not measured by the number of patients who pay, but by the number of people who are helped. He has turned his career into a long Sunday service, proving that in the right hands, medicine and grace are one and the same.