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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.”

Closed-door non-AC rake by Jan 2026

Mumbai: In the aftermath of the Mumbra train incident in which four persons were killed and nine injured on Monday morning, the railways said it would redesign a suburban rake to install automatic door closure systems by November and induct it into service by January next year.


At least four commuters, including a GRP constable, died and nine were injured when 13 passengers fell after those hanging from the footboard of two overcrowded trains and their backpacks brushed against each other as the trains passed in opposite directions.


Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and senior Railway Board functionaries held an urgent meeting with the Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) team to find a practical solution to the challenges surrounding automatic door closing systems in non-AC local trains operating in Mumbai, officials said.


After detailed deliberations, it was decided that a new design for non-AC suburban coaches would be developed to resolve the ventilation issue through three major design modifications, a Central Railway official said here.


""First, the new coaches will feature louvers on the doors to allow natural airflow even when the doors are closed. Second, roof-mounted ventilation units will be installed to pump fresh air into the coaches. And third, vestibules will be added between coaches to enable passenger movement and better distribution of the crowd inside the train," the official said.


This new trainset will be in addition to the ongoing production of 238 air-conditioned (AC) local trains being manufactured under Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), he informed.


The primary concern with automatic door closing in non-AC coaches is the issue of suffocation due to reduced ventilation, which has raised serious safety and comfort concerns among commuters, officials said.


They pointed out that an automatic door closure system was tested on a suburban local on Western Railway a decade ago but it failed due to suffocation complaints from passengers as well as other issues.


Presently, Central Railway has 157 suburban locals, including seven AC locals, while Western Railway has 95 suburban locals, of which eight are air-conditioned locals.


CR operates 1810 services every day. The figure is 1406 for Western Railway. More than 75 lakh passengers use these 3200-odd services every day, making the network the largest public transporter in the city and among the biggest of its kind anywhere in the world.

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