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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.”

India’s Fading Lungs

Updated: Feb 3, 2025

Fading Lungs

By all accounts, green vegetation is a quiet, tireless ally in the global struggle against climate change. Trees, crops, and forests inhale carbon dioxide, temper the planet’s fever, and exhale the oxygen that sustains life. Yet, the effectiveness of this natural carbon sink is not static but bends under the weight of climate extremes, sometimes releasing more than it sequesters. In India, a country whose vast landscapes have historically absorbed more carbon than they emitted, scientists are now watching an unsettling trend - a slow but steady weakening of this once-reliable buffer.


A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal (IISERB), working with experts from Germany, the United Kingdom, and India’s National Remote Sensing Centre, has devised an innovative method to track how well the country’s greenery is coping. The technology, which links plant fluorescence - an almost imperceptible glow - to carbon uptake, offers unprecedented insights into India’s ecosystem dynamics. Plants, it turns out, emit a faint, measurable radiance during photosynthesis, a spectral whisper of their metabolic activity. By analysing these emissions with high-resolution satellite instruments such as the Sentinel-2’s TROPOMI sensor, scientists can determine how efficiently vegetation is pulling carbon from the air.


India’s vegetation has long acted as a natural carbon sink, absorbing more CO₂ than it emits. The overall balance between this uptake and release of CO₂ is known as the net ecosystem exchange (NEE). When the NEE is positive, it means vegetation is releasing more carbon than it absorbs, and when it’s negative, it indicates that the vegetation is effectively storing carbon. For the last decade, India’s ecosystems absorbed more carbon than they emitted annually, with annual NEE estimates ranging from -380 to -530 million tonnes of carbon annually. This level of carbon sequestration is presently impressive but tends to show declining in response to climate extremes, underscoring the critical role of vegetation in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation.


Evergreen forests are India’s most efficient carbon sinks, capturing vast amounts of CO₂ through photosynthesis. Croplands, though less effective per hectare, contribute significantly due to their sheer expanse. But Central India’s deciduous forests tell a different story. Each year, they release 210m tonnes of carbon, as respiration outpaces absorption, making them net emitters rather than absorbers. These findings are crucial for shaping climate policies and ensuring that India’s green cover remains an asset in its net-zero ambitions.


Agricultural lands, sprawling across the subcontinent, contribute to carbon capture, albeit less efficiently than forests. Yet, their sheer scale makes them crucial players in India’s broader climate strategy. The ability to fine-tune policies around such findings is where this research proves invaluable. Understanding which ecosystems are underperforming and why allows policymakers to intervene strategically, whether through afforestation projects, conservation efforts, or sustainable agricultural practices.


The IISERB team’s approach also brings a necessary precision to a field that has long relied on broad-stroke global models, often lacking localized ground data. Their ten-year analysis, integrating thousands of observational records, offers a more responsive and sensitive metric for measuring India’s carbon flux. The work, part of an Indo-German collaboration supported by the Max Planck Society and India’s Anusandhan National Research Foundation, aligns with India’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. But commitment alone does not guarantee results.


The fundamental question remains whether the country’s natural carbon sinks will hold the line against accelerating climate change? Forests are resilient, but not invincible. Without decisive intervention, the nation’s green lungs will continue to falter, shifting from allies in carbon sequestration to unwilling accomplices in its release.


(The author is an Associate Professor and Head of the Max Planck Partner Group at IISER Bhopal.)

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