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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.”

From Cheetahs to Chips

Modi’s charm offensive in Namibia is part of a broader strategy to reclaim India’s role in Africa.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood before Namibia’s Parliament this week and invoked the memory of India’s support for African independence, he was offering a vision wrapped in symbolism and strategic intent for a new India–Africa partnership. It was the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Namibia, and it capped a five-nation tour aimed at bolstering New Delhi’s footprint across continents.


India and Namibia share a history laced with principle and pragmatism. As early as 1946, even before its own independence, India raised the question of South West Africa’s freedom at the United Nations. It was an Indian general, Dewan Prem Chand, who led the UN peacekeeping force that helped midwife Namibia’s birth as a nation in 1990. But in recent decades, India’s engagement with Africa, rhetorically warm but practically patchy, has fallen behind its ambitions. China’s highways, railways and tech infrastructure dominate the continental landscape. Even Russia, Turkey and the Gulf states have proved more agile in courting African capitals. India, by contrast, has too often appeared content to rest on the laurels of its anti-colonial credentials.


Modi’s address in Windhoek was an attempt to correct course. His speech may have had China in mind, but they also sought to distinguish India’s approach from that of extractive powers, past and present. Africa, he argued, should not remain a “source of raw materials” but emerge as a hub of “value creation and sustainable growth.” This framing mirrors India’s own aspirations to transition from a resource-dependent economy to one anchored in manufacturing, services and strategic autonomy. In Africa, it now seeks a partner on the same trajectory.


Namibia is a good place to start. Rich in uranium, lithium and rare earths, its mineral wealth is essential to the green and digital transitions. Indian firms have begun eyeing joint ventures in mining and clean energy. The two countries discussed collaboration in digital payments (Namibia has adopted India’s UPI system) and critical minerals. India’s offer to help build manufacturing facilities and train Namibian experts echoes its playbook elsewhere in the Global South, combining capacity-building with economic diplomacy.


The emotional warmth on display was striking. Modi was conferred Namibia’s highest civilian award. But India cannot afford to mistake affection for influence. It still lags behind China by most economic metrics in Africa: bilateral trade, foreign direct investment, infrastructure development. Beijing’s footprint is omnipresent, from ports in Kenya to digital networks in Nigeria. Its Belt and Road Initiative has, despite mounting debt concerns, cemented long-term economic dependencies across the continent.


India’s advantage lies elsewhere. It brings no colonial baggage. Its model is less about debt-financed megaprojects than frugal innovation. And its emphasis on shared democratic values offers a compelling counterpoint to authoritarian enticements. Moreover, India’s credentials in healthcare, IT, education and digital public goods resonate in countries hungry for affordable, scalable solutions.


Still, challenges abound. India’s Africa strategy lacks the institutional heft and long-term coherence of China’s. Its private sector, though ambitious, often shies away from African markets due to concerns about political risk and lack of financing support. Bureaucratic inertia and capacity constraints limit the scale and speed of delivery. If Modi’s tour is to herald a new era, India will need to consistently marry its moral authority with economic muscle.


The geopolitical backdrop is also shifting. The West’s strategic retreat, China’s economic slowdown and rising African assertiveness are creating space for India to shape the rules. The Global South, of which both India and Namibia are vocal members, is becoming more than a slogan.


Whether it is cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh, lithium in the Namib desert, or digital transactions across continents, the India–Africa relationship is being rebooted. If New Delhi can match its rhetoric with resources it may yet find itself not just welcomed, but needed in Africa’s future.

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