The senior physician at Worcester Memorial Hospital, Dr. Peter Levine, watched the young intern from Nagpur. It was her first day in the Medical ICU\u2014a place of hissing ventilators, rhythmic monitor pings, and the sharp tang of antiseptic. Sujata was surrounded by Swan-Ganz catheters and arterial lines, a world away from the dusty wards of Saoner. Suddenly, a patient extubated himself. Panic, cold and sharp, took hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sujata rushed to Levine\u2019s office. “I want to quit,” she told the world-renowned hematologist. Levine did not lecture her. He simply struck a bargain: “Give it a fortnight. If you still feel this way, I will take your resignation.” Days later, while Sujata was deep in the care of a complex patient, Levine passed by on rounds. He caught her eye and offered a quiet, knowing wink. The resignation was never mentioned again. Confidence, once lost, had been reclaimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sujata\u2019s journey began in the intellectual heart of Nagpur. Her father, Bal Sawangikar, was a Professor of Philosophy who breathed Gandhian thought into the postgraduate corridors of Nagpur University. Her mother, a scholar of Marathi literature, possessed a voice that frequently graced the airwaves of Nagpur radio. It was a home where the pursuit of truth was matched by the beauty of song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After schooling at J.N. Tata Parsi Girls High School and pre-medical studies at Mohota College of Science, Sujata entered the Government Medical College (GMC), Nagpur. Her internship took her to the rural outpost of Saoner and a month-long camp in Chichgarh. She had planned for a life in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, already registered for her DGO. But history, as it often does, intervened in the form of a June wedding in 1979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her husband, Prakash Bhalerao, was an electrical engineer from Indore already making his mark in Boston. The transition was total. Within a year, Sujata had crossed the Atlantic, cleared her exams, and begun working in chronic care. Recognizing that the erratic hours of a surgeon\u2019s life would fray the edges of the family she hoped to build, she pivoted. She chose Internal Medicine, finding her footing in the “Mecca of Learning” that is Boston, shadowed by the steeples of Harvard and MIT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By 1985, she was a Diplomate of Internal Medicine. Joining a group practice, she found a way to marry her old interest with her new discipline, focusing her practice on women\u2019s health. In the quiet dignity of a clinical examination, she found her calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1992, the air changed again. The “entrepreneurial bug” bit Prakash, and the family moved to Cupertino, California. They arrived just as the ground began to shift beneath the feet of the global economy. In the garages and office parks of Silicon Valley, Sujata watched as friends and neighbors birthed the digital age. Names like Google, Yahoo, and Hotmail were not yet titans of industry; they were the projects of acquaintances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Prakash\u2019s ventures took flight\u2014his company developed DVD technology and earned an Emmy, while another was acquired by Nokia\u2014Sujata maintained the center of their gravity. She practiced part-time, allowing her the flexibility to be a present mother and a devoted daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This balance granted her a rare privilege: the ability to return to India frequently to care for her parents, in-laws, and aunts in their final days. In an era where the diaspora often feels the “guilt of distance,” Sujata was there, practicing the “art of letting go” with the same grace she had applied to medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bhalerao residence at 21690 Rainbow Court became more than a home; it became a sanctuary for the Indian classical arts. The family did not just listen to music; they lived it. Their son, Neil, became an accomplished Tabla player under Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, while their daughter, Leena, mastered Kathak, performing from San Francisco to Kolkata.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The walls of their home have echoed with the notes of the masters. Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt. Birju Maharaj, and Dr. Prabha Atre have all been guests, finding in the Bhaleraos a family that understood the discipline required for such greatness. Outside, Sujata channeled her own creativity into the earth, designing rustic gardens that reflect her love for the natural world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pandemic of 2022 marked the end of Sujata\u2019s formal medical career. She relinquished her license with a characteristic lack of fuss, recognizing that medicine is a jealous mistress that demands one\u2019s total presence. Yet, a doctor never truly stops being a doctor. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, she became a bridge of information for friends and family across two continents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, life revolves around the joy of three grandchildren: Ella, Leela, and Naina. Alongside Prakash, who has also stepped back from the corporate treadmill, she is busy imparting the Marathi language and the nuances of their culture to a new generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their commitment to their roots remains fierce. Prakash currently serves as the Convener for the Bruhan Marathi Mandal (BMM) 2024, an ambitious gathering expected to draw 7,000 members of the diaspora to the Bay Area. Despite the hurdles of age and the occasional sting of failed community projects, they remain active, dividing their time between Cupertino and their base in Pune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The daughter of the philosophy professor has come full circle. Whether in a high-tech California suburb or the familiar streets of Maharashtra, Sujata Sawangikar Bhalerao continues to practice a quiet, enduring duty\u2014to her family, her culture, and the “old ways” of a life well-lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Greetings from Cupertino.\n <\/p>\n\n
\n I continue to live in Cupertino, California, with the quiet joy of having both my children nearby. This closeness has brought the added delight of spending time with our three grandchildren, who fill our days with energy and warmth.\n <\/p>\n\n
\n Though I have retired from active practice as a primary care internist, I remain grateful that I can still be of help\u2014especially to elderly patients\u2014guiding them and their families through health challenges and, at times, the complexities of end-of-life care.\n <\/p>\n\n
\n These days, I am focusing on my own well-being, working steadily on fitness so that I can travel more and gradually tick off the destinations on my long-held bucket list.\n <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"