Science, Stories and Sevagram: A Physician-Teacher's Reflections
It indeed hit him like a bolt out of blue. Little did Dr. Rakesh Khera realise that when he was not able to use his hand while operating a computer, a large clot had obstructed the middle cerebral artery. The clot looked ominous, threatening to deprive a large chunk of his brain of its blood … Read more
John Steinbeck once said, “What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?” True. A month ago, I attempted a 200-km cycling event and failed spectacularly. I had to quit before the finish line. But this time? This time, I made it. Every success has a first failure, … Read more
This was a moment I was day-dreaming for over a month. On the Monday morning, 12 September, as the clock struck five, I achieved what many had thought was an impossible goal to accomplish. I am so happy that I was able to translate my dream into a reality. To do so, I rode all-night … Read more
We ought to congratulate Sri Lanka for eliminating malaria. Yes, there is no malaria in Sri Lanka. The success story is remarkable for several reasons. The country is poor. Eight of ten Sri Lankans live in villages. The rural milieu provides an ideal environment for malaria mosquitoes to breed, grow and multiply. And the government … Read more
Dr. Kishor Taori died today. A rare neurological illness—detected barely a year ago—took his breath away. Kishor led the Department of Radiology, GMC, Nagpur; chaired the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) and presided over the Indian Radiology and Imaging Association. He would have completed 60, on 27 September. Kishor belonged to the class of 1974, GMC, … Read more
Discovering Brevets Before November 2015, I had never heard the word brevet, let alone known how to pronounce it correctly. That changed when my son, Ashwini, successfully completed 200- and 300-km brevets in Nagpur, earning the proud title of Randonneur. I soon discovered that brevets are long-distance, non-competitive cycling events where riders must complete a … Read more
Drenched and drained—and palpably tired—I parked my bicycle and slumped down into the bed. I had every reason to indulge in this idiosyncrasy. I had achieved what I thought was unachievable. A few months ago, when I began cycling—a maturity onset disorder—little did I know that I would be able to complete a 150 km … Read more
Today, Sevagram Cyclones—a bunch of bicycle aficionados—motivated each other to set mobile alarms at 4:45 am to get up early on a Sunday morning. The plan was to take a two-way 60 km bike ride—from Sevagram to Bor Dam. So, Sumedh Manikpure (a medical student), Hardik More (an intern), Nikita Bhugra (a resident), Ashwini Kalantri … Read more
Dr. KV Desikan. Ninety-one-year-old man. This morning, I spent an hour and a half with him—forgetting our age differences—and spoke to him on a variety of topics—his tryst with Sevagram, his leprosy work, his medical maladies and how he copes with them, and the modern doctors. With organisational and administrative skills and energy as enormous … Read more
Varun Bhargava (VB) came to Sevagram in 1969. He belonged to the first batch of MGIMS. Four years later, he graduated from MGIMS, went to PGI, Chandigarh to earn his MD (Medicine) and established a highly successful practice in Nagpur. His 100-bed hospital—driven by ethics and science— evokes a level of respect and admiration that … Read more