Nandkishor Taori\u2014known to everyone simply as Nandu\u2014had a habit that patients in Malkapur never forgot. No matter the hour, if someone knocked on his door, he went. Midnight fever, a child gasping for breath, an anxious family waiting outside in the dark\u2014he arrived without irritation, drama, or delay. Years after his death, people still remembered less the medicines he prescribed than the reassurance of his presence. For them, healing began when Nandu walked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That instinct for service had deep roots. Born in Borala, near Jalgaon Jamod, Nandu lost his father at the age of three. His childhood unfolded in conditions of restraint and discipline, largely under the care of relatives in Danapur. There was little room for indulgence or self-pity. Scarcity taught him endurance; loss taught him responsibility. The hardships of those years did not harden him. They gave him steadiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He completed his early education in the Buldhana region and came to Jankidevi Bajaj Science College, Wardha, before entering Government Medical College, Nagpur, in 1973. Like many students from small towns, he arrived with limited means but enormous determination. During his first year, he stayed at Aruna Lodge in Dhantoli with Ramesh Mundle <\/a>and Sudhakar Sawdatkar<\/a>. A few months later, he shifted to Hanuman Nagar, sharing accommodation with Narayan Dongre <\/a>before eventually moving into the hostel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At GMC, Nandu became part of a close circle of friends later known as the \u201cSaptrishi\u201d\u2014the seven sages. The group included Vijay Kherde<\/a>, Nandkishor Salampuria,<\/a> Makhanlal Gupta,<\/a> Indra Ostwal,<\/a> Vrajlal Patel,<\/a> Murtuza Akhtar,<\/a> and Nandu himself. Most came from the districts of Akola and Buldhana. They carried the anxieties of first-generation professional students, depended heavily on one another, and forged friendships that lasted a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Within the group, Nandu emerged as its calm and articulate centre. He had the gift of clarity. When friends worried about money, exams, or the uncertainty of the future, he reduced the problem to its essentials: one could spend life blaming circumstances, or one could move forward despite them. That practical wisdom stayed with many of his classmates long after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His internship exposed him to both urban and rural medicine. He worked at the District Hospital in Wardha with Prabhakar Patil <\/a>and Narayan Dongre, and later at the Primary Health Centre in Kondhali alongside Nandkishor Chandak<\/a>, Omprakash Bohra<\/a>, and Laxmikant Rathi.<\/a> Those postings grounded him in the realities of small-town practice and strengthened his resolve to return to his own region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nThe Saptrishi of the Soil<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n