Dr. Tarvinder Bir Singh Buxi’s journey to MGIMS began far from Sevagram, in the bustling city of Delhi. His father worked with All India Radio, a job that required periodic transfers across the country. In 1972, one such transfer brought the family from Delhi to Nagpur.

For a young student adjusting to a new city, the move marked a significant turning point. He enrolled at the Institute of Science in Nagpur, not yet knowing that his future would soon take another unexpected turn.

At the Institute, he met Dr. Narayan Ingole, a senior student who had joined MGIMS a year earlier. In a casual conversation, Narayan suggested that Tarvinder should try for the MGIMS entrance examination.

“The college is only three years old,” he told him. “I got in last year, and honestly, I do not regret it one bit.”

The suggestion stayed with him. MGIMS was still a young institution, but it had already begun to earn a reputation for discipline, academic rigour, and its unique Gandhian ethos. Curious and encouraged, Tarvinder decided to take the chance.

Taking a Chance on MGIMS

That summer, he appeared for the common entrance examination conducted for three prestigious institutions: MGIMS Sevagram, BHU Banaras, and AIIMS Delhi.

The examination process in those days was very different from the multiple-choice entrance tests of today. Students had to write detailed answers and demonstrate not only their knowledge but also their clarity of thought.

Tarvinder performed well enough to be called for the next stage: the interview at Sevagram.

He still remembers arriving at Mahadev Bhavan, where the interview was conducted. For a young student, it was an imposing setting. Ten people sat on the panel. Among them were Dr. Sushila Nayar, Mrs. Manimala Chaudhary, Dr. Ishar Dayal Singh, Shri Santoshrao Gode, and several others.

The atmosphere was serious but not harsh. There was a sense that the interviewers wanted to understand not only what a student knew but also how he thought, how he carried himself, and what values he brought with him.

The first few questions were academic. One member of the panel asked him to explain the process of photosynthesis. Others followed with more questions, mostly from botany.

Tarvinder answered as best as he could. Looking back now, he smiles at the memory and wonders whether the panel knew all the answers themselves or whether they were more interested in seeing how he approached a problem.

A Question That Changed Everything

Then came a question that he had not expected.

Dr. Ishar Dayal Singh, the Principal of MGIMS, looked at him and asked quietly, “Tell us about the Sikh Gurus.”

The room fell silent.

This was not a question from a textbook. It was not about botany or chemistry or biology. It felt personal. It felt like an invitation to speak from the heart.

In that moment, Tarvinder’s thoughts returned to his childhood. He remembered sitting beside his mother in the evenings as she narrated the stories of the Sikh Gurus. Those stories were full of courage, sacrifice, compassion, and justice. They were not merely tales from history. They were lessons about how one should live.

He began with Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, who taught that there is one God and that all human beings are equal. He then spoke about the Gurus who followed, one after another, tracing the history of the Sikh faith up to Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

As he spoke, Dr. Ishar Dayal Singh and Dr. Sushila Nayar listened closely. They did not interrupt him. They simply listened with complete attention.

When he finished, there was a brief silence. Then came a smile and a nod.

That moment has stayed with him all his life.

The Influence of Family and Faith

Looking back, Dr. Buxi believes that it was not only his academic preparation that carried him through the interview. It was also the influence of his family.

His mother’s stories had given him a grounding in values that no textbook could provide. Through her, he had learnt about courage, truth, sacrifice, and respect for all human beings.

Those values shaped the way he answered the interview question. They also shaped the way he approached life.

He believes that Dr. Sushila Nayar’s vision for MGIMS played an important role in his selection. She wanted the college to be diverse, inclusive, and representative of many different regions, communities, and backgrounds. MGIMS was never meant to be only a medical college. It was meant to be a place where students learnt to understand India in all its diversity.

For a young Sikh student who had moved from Delhi to Nagpur and was now standing before an interview board in Sevagram, that vision made all the difference.

Becoming Roll Number Five

Soon after the interview, the results were announced.

Tarvinder Bir Singh Buxi had secured admission to the MBBS batch of 1972. He became Roll Number 5. It was the beginning of a journey that would shape the rest of his life.

MGIMS in those years was still a young institution, only three years old. Yet it already had a distinctive character. Students were expected to live simply, think deeply, and serve sincerely. They were encouraged to look beyond textbooks and understand the social realities of illness, poverty, and rural life.

For Tarvinder, joining MGIMS meant becoming part of something larger than himself. He was not simply entering a medical college. He was joining an institution founded on Gandhian ideals, discipline, and compassion.

The values he had learnt at home—respect, equality, humility, and service—found a natural home in Sevagram.

Memories That Endure

More than fifty years have passed since that interview at Mahadev Bhavan, yet Dr. Buxi remembers it with remarkable clarity.

He remembers the long table, the distinguished faces on the panel, the questions on photosynthesis and botany, and above all, the unexpected question about the Sikh Gurus.

It remains unforgettable because it revealed something important about MGIMS.

The institution did not seek only academic excellence. It sought character. It looked for students who carried values, stories, convictions, and a sense of purpose.

In retrospect, the question about the Sikh Gurus was not only about religion. It was about understanding the person sitting before them.

For Dr. Buxi, that question became the bridge between his childhood and his future. It connected the lessons he had learnt from his mother with the life he would go on to build as a doctor.

The memory remains vivid because it marked the moment when he first felt that MGIMS saw him not merely as a candidate, but as a person.

And that, perhaps, is why the journey from Delhi to Sevagram has remained so meaningful even after all these years.