Reflections on Medicine and Life by Dr. S.P. Kalantri
Dr. Shivnarayan Acharya and I share a bond from our days as alumni of GMC Nagpur. We both did MBBS and MD around the same time, though our paths took different turns after that. He became a nephrologist in Nagpur, while I focused on teaching and serving in a rural medical school in Sevagram. Over … Read the essay
With HMPV looming over us, I wonder—are we on the brink of another Covid-like hysteria? Act 1: Fear Takes Center Stage Fear of the unknown. The reflex to overreact. Every cough and sneeze under a microscope.Labs mushrooming everywhere. Machines humming. Pockets emptying. And panic rising. Act 2: Media Circus One pneumonia case hits the headlines. … Read the essay
This Diwali, Ravi (name changed) turned 19. He lived in a small town, 100 km southeast of Sevagram. Fresh out of his teens, he had completed his tenth grade at a local school and enrolled in a technical college. A promising future awaited him—steady income, a stable life. His parents, both laborers in the fields, … Read the essay
“How much time do I have now?” His voice on the phone was calm, almost casual. We had discussed the sudden cold wave, his family, his niece’s recent grand wedding, Jasprit Bumrah’s lethal bowling—everything except his illness. Then, out of the blue, he asked that question. It’s a question I hear often. Families ask it … Read the essay
For decades after completing my MD residency and becoming a physician, I held firm to a belief: diagnose accurately, treat effectively, monitor diligently, and ensure that patients followed my advice. This was the creed I practiced in OPDs, wards, ICUs, and even during cross-department consultations in the hospital. And it worked. Most of the time. … Read the essay