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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.”

NEET aspirant from Delhi found dead in Kota refused to sit for May 4 exam, wanted 1 more year

  • PTI
  • Apr 26, 2025
  • 2 min read


KOTA: Ranjit Sharma, a carpenter in Delhi's Tuglakabad, sobbed uncontrollably outside the mortuary of a hospital here as he waited to claim his son's body. The man and his wife had been in the city just a few days ago to take his NEET-aspirant son back home, but he had refused.


According to the parents, Roshan Sharma (23) had abruptly told them just a few weeks before the May 4 NEET-UG exam that he would not appear for it this year.


Just three days after they had left for Delhi, the body of their son was retrieved from the bushes near a railway track here early on Thursday with a preliminary police probe indicating that he had consumed a poisonous substance.


In between sobs, Ranjit Sharma said his son had been preparing for NEET for the past three years and had recently confided with his sister that he needed another year to get fully ready for the prestigious medical entrance exam.


"Our son was studious, scoring 550-600 marks in routine tests at the coaching institute," he claimed on Friday, struggling to wrap around his head the reason for the suicide just days before the exam. The perfect score for the NEET-UG exam is 720.


This is the 12th case of suspected student suicide since January in the city, considered the country's hub for competitive exam coaching. Last year, the city reported 17 suicides by aspirants.


According to Roshan's parents, he had himself decided to join a coaching institute in Kota and jumped to another institute in the city just after a year.


Ranjit Sharma told that they came to Kota on April 22 to take their son back to home, but he refused. When their son couldn't be found in his hostel they contacted him over phone, only to be told that neither would he sit for the NEET exam this year nor return home.


They returned home with his belongings, hoping he would follow them. When that didn't happen, the distraught parents kept calling their son, urging him to return home. Roshan had also shared with his sister over the phone that he wanted a year more to prepare for NEET, he added.


The police handed over Roshan's body to the family after post-mortem on Friday and lodged a case under section BNSS Section 194 (A) (enquiry on suicide) for investigation, Circle Inspector at Kunhadi police station Arvind Bhardwaj said.


The parents have not levelled any allegation, he added.


This was the second case of suspected suicide reported within 48 hours in the coaching city which has been under critical lens for the past few years for high rates of suicides among competitive exam aspirants, often attributed to them not coping well with the pressure of studies and high expectations from their families.


On April 22, an 18-year-old NEET aspirant from Bihar allegedly hanged himself to death in his hostel room. In a note, the student said neither his family nor his preparation for NEET-UG was the reason behind his extreme step, police had said.

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