Professor of Pathology · Fourteen Years at Sevagram · The Pathologist Who Wrote About Cells the Way a Naturalist Writes About Birds Before computers arrived at MGIMS, Dr. Arvind Bhake wrote his cytology reports by hand. Each one was meticulous — the cell described, its cytoplasm detailed, its nucleus examined, the structure and any deformity … Read more
Sixty years after his birth at Kasturba Hospital, he left Sevagram as Vice-Chancellor of KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research in Belagavi — having served along the way as the first MGIMS alumnus to become Dean of the institution, having earned a PhD from Umeå University in Sweden, having published over 180 papers from … Read more
In June 2016, visiting his sister in Nagpur, he sat on a swing. It broke. He fell, injuring his neck. Paralysis followed — arms and legs refusing to obey. Four years of physiotherapy. His wife Jyotsna’s care, constant and patient. Gradual, partial return. He never asked why. “Life unfolds as predestined,” he would say. Lord … Read more
Reader, Pathology · Nine Years at Sevagram · The Man Who Knew Viswanath’s Debut Scores The interview panel included Dr. Sushila Nayar and, to Santosh Gupta’s surprise, Pratibha Patil — then Maharashtra’s state public health minister, later India’s first woman President. Patil leaned forward. “Are you interested in sports?” “Yes, Madam. Cricket.” “Do you know … Read more
Professor & Head of Pathology · Forty-One Years at Sevagram · The Legacy That Is Quiet, Unresolved, and Real His father, Dr. M.L. Sharma, was one of the most commanding figures in MGIMS history — charismatic, dynamic, deeply admired, the kind of person around whom institutional memory organises itself. Satish Sharma arrived in Sevagram on … Read more
Professor & Head of Pathology · Twenty Years at Sevagram · The Rarest Kind of Life Three months after Dr. Narendra Samal died, on February 26, 2024, Swarnlata died too — at home, as if she could not bear to leave him alone on his final journey. They had spent fifty years proving, in the … Read more
Professor & Head of Pathology · Six and a Half Years at Sevagram · The Man Who Found a Discovery on a Bicycle and Taught Medicine Where It Lived During a practical examination, Dr. Gehlot noticed a student from the 1976 batch who had come from flood-stricken Allahabad. “Where from?” he asked. “Allahabad,” the student … Read more
Professor & Head of Pathology · Founding Faculty · The Man Who Built a Department with Determination and Sweat One Sunday morning, Dr. Satish Sharma received his weekly assignment: travel to GMC Nagpur, collect pathology specimens and slides from Mrs. Shobha Grover, and bring them back to Sevagram. The specimens came packed in two heavy … Read more
Leprologist · Chairman, LEPRA India · The Man Who Examined Thirty Thousand People in Thirty-Five Villages and Took Notes at the Journal Club Until His Eighties On Friday mornings, a slight elderly man would appear at the Department of Medicine’s journal club. He was not on the faculty list for the session. He had not … Read more