top of page

By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 1:54:18 pm

Healing Beyond the Clinic

Dr Kirti Samudra “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” This thought by Mother Teresa finds reflection in the life of Panvel-based diabetologist Dr Kirti Samudra, who has spent decades caring not only for her family but also thousands of patients who see her as their guide. As we mark International Women’s Day, stories like hers remind us that women of substance often shape society quietly through compassion, resilience and dedication. Doctor, mother, homemaker,...

Healing Beyond the Clinic

Dr Kirti Samudra “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” This thought by Mother Teresa finds reflection in the life of Panvel-based diabetologist Dr Kirti Samudra, who has spent decades caring not only for her family but also thousands of patients who see her as their guide. As we mark International Women’s Day, stories like hers remind us that women of substance often shape society quietly through compassion, resilience and dedication. Doctor, mother, homemaker, mentor and philanthropist — Dr Samudra has balanced many roles with commitment. While she manages a busy medical practice, her deeper calling has always been service. For her, medicine is not merely a profession but a responsibility towards the people who depend on her guidance. Nagpur to Panvel Born and raised in Nagpur, Dr Samudra completed her medical education there before moving to Mumbai in search of better opportunities. The early years were challenging. With determination, she and her husband Girish Samudra, an entrepreneur involved in underwater pipeline projects, chose to build their life in Panvel. At a time when the town was still developing and healthcare awareness was limited, she decided to make it both her workplace and home. What began with modest resources gradually grew into a trusted medical practice built on long-standing relationships with patients. Fighting Diabetes Recognising the growing threat of diabetes, Dr Samudra dedicated her career to treating and educating patients about the disease. Over the years, she has registered nearly 30,000 patients from Panvel and nearby areas. Yet she believes treatment alone is not enough. “Diabetes is a lifelong disease. Medicines are important, but patient education is equally critical. If people understand the condition, they can manage it better and prevent complications,” she says. For more than 27 years, she has organised an Annual Patients’ Education Programme, offering diagnostic tests at concessional rates and sessions on lifestyle management. Family, Practice With her husband frequently travelling for business, much of the responsibility of raising their two children fell on Dr Samudra. Instead of expanding her practice aggressively, she kept it close to home and adjusted her OPD timings around her children’s schedules. “It was not easy,” she recalls, “but I wanted to fulfil my responsibilities as a mother while continuing to serve my patients.” Beyond Medicine Today, Dr Samudra also devotes time to social initiatives through the Bharat Vikas Parishad, where she serves as Regional Head. Her projects include  Plastic Mukta Vasundhara , which promotes reduced use of single-use plastic, and  Sainik Ho Tumchyasathi , an initiative that sends Diwali  faral  (snack hamper) to Indian soldiers posted at the borders. Last year alone, 15,000 boxes were sent to troops. Despite decades of service, she measures success not in wealth but in goodwill. “I may not have earned huge money,” she says, “but I have earned immense love and respect from my patients. That is something I will always be grateful for.”

Ameet Satam’s Big Test

For a party that revels in bold strokes, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) latest move in Mumbai looks almost understated. The ruling party has quietly appointed AmeetSatam, a three-time legislator from Andheri (West), as president of its city unit, replacing Ashish Shelar. At first glance it seemed like routine reshuffling. In reality, it was anything but. The decision signals a recalibration of strategy as the BJP girds for next year’s high-stakes elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), India’s wealthiest civic body and a long-time bastion of the undivided Shiv Sena.


Satam, 49, is no lightweight. Born into a middle-class Maharashtrian household, he cut his political teeth under the tutelage of Gopinath Munde, a party stalwart who embodied the BJP’s early push in Maharashtra. From youth-wing leader to corporator to three-term MLA, his trajectory reflects the classic path of a party organiser who has stayed loyal through thick and thin. His elevation, announced jointly by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state party chief Ravindra Chavan, is meant to project both continuity and renewal: an old-school hand attuned to Mumbai’s urban challenges, yet young enough to energise the cadre.


Identity politics looms large in Mumbai, and here too Satam ticks a crucial box. With his Konkan roots and Marathi credentials, he provides ballast against the ‘Marathi asmita’ (pride) plank pushed by Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. In a contest where cultural belonging matters as much as governance, the BJP needed a face who could straddle both North Indian and Gujarati migrants (traditional party bases) while reassuring native Mumbaikars. Satam’s appointment is a nod to this balancing act.


There is also a more practical calculation. Ashish Shelar, who led the city unit for three terms, has been rewarded with two cabinet berths in the state government. The party’s ‘one-leader-one-post’ rule required his exit. Satam was not the only name in contention. Pravin Darekar, a former MNS man and once Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, was also considered. But his baggage, including a cooperative-bank scam case, and his shifting party loyalties told against him.


In contrast, Satam’s unblemished record and organisational pedigree made him a safer bet. Behind the scenes, the appointment enhances Fadnavis’ clout. Satam is widely seen as his trusted ally, unlikely to challenge him or carve out an independent fiefdom. That keeps Mumbai BJP firmly tethered to the state leadership at a time when the party cannot afford discord.


The task before Satam is formidable. The BMC, with an annual budget larger than some states, has been run by the Sena for over three decades. In 2017 the BJP won 82 of 227 seats, its best showing yet, but still fell short of dislodging its erstwhile ally. Since the Sena’s split in 2022, the civic polls have assumed outsized significance. Victory here would give the BJP not just bragging rights but also control over lucrative contracts, vast urban projects and patronage networks.


Satam’s early messaging has been sharp. He has attacked ‘aspirational toilets’ and other extravagant civic projects as symbols of corruption and waste, calling for probes and transparency. It is a line designed to resonate with citizens weary of potholes, stalled infrastructure and the perception of graft that has long dogged the BMC. At the same time, he has laid out priorities in mobility, housing, safety, infrastructure that echo the concerns of an expanding, anxious metropolis. Framing these within the larger narrative of protecting Mumbai’s identity, he hopes to neutralise Sena’s cultural rhetoric.


Organisation will be key. The BJP aims to triple its mandals (local units) in the city, creating a denser network of ward-level committees. Satam’s background as a grassroots worker is expected to help in this exercise, but time is short. Mobilising cadres across communities - Marathi-speaking locals, North Indian migrants, Gujarati traders, and newer arrivals - will test both his political dexterity and his managerial skills.


None of this guarantees success. The Sena (UBT), though weakened by defections, still commands deep loyalty in many Marathi neighbourhoods. The Congress and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) remain factors in pockets. Moreover, the BJP’s own brand of urban politics, which emphasises muscular nationalism alongside promises of efficiency, has yet to fully convince sceptical Mumbaikars who judge parties by potholes filled and trains unclogged rather than rhetoric.


Still, the symbolism is clear. In Satam, the BJP has chosen not a celebrity or a powerbroker but a disciplined apparatchik, a reminder that in local elections, organisational stamina often trumps star power.


(The Writer is a communication professional. Views Personal.)

Comments

bottom of page