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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.”

Powerful earthquakes rock Thailand and Myanmar, triggering collapse of Bangkok high-rise

  • PTI
  • Mar 28, 2025
  • 3 min read

Bangkok: A high-rise building under construction in Bangkok collapsed after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocked Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar midday on Friday, police said, and possible casualties are not yet known.


A dramatic video circulated on social media showed the multi-story building with a crane on top collapsing into a cloud of dust, while onlookers screamed and ran.


Police told The Associated Press they were responding to the scene near Bangkok's popular Chatuchak Market and had no immediate information on how many workers were on the site at the time of the collapse.


The midday temblor was followed by a strong 6.4 magnitude aftershock and people in Bangkok evacuated from their buildings were cautioned to stay outside in case there were more.


"All of a sudden the whole building began to move, immediately there was screaming and a lot of panic," said Fraser Morton, a tourist from Scotland, who was in one of Bangkok's many malls shopping for camera equipment.


¿I just started walking calmly at first but then the building started really moving, yeah, a lot of screaming, a lot of panic, people running the wrong way down the escalators, lots of banging and crashing inside the mall.¿


Like thousands of others in downtown Bangkok, Morton sought refuge in Benjasiri Park -- away from the tall buildings all around.


"I got outside and then looked up at the building and the whole building was moving, dust and debris, it was pretty intense," he said.

The U.S. Geological Survey and Germany's GFZ centre for geosciences said the earthquake was a shallow 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), with an epicentre in Myanmar, according to preliminary reports.


In Mandalay, the country's second-largest city and close to the epicentre, the earthquake damaged part of the former royal palace and buildings, according to videos and photos released on Facebook social media.


While the area is prone to earthquakes, it is generally sparsely populated and most houses are low-rise structures.


In the Sagaing region just southwest of Mandalay, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed, and some sections of the highway connecting Mandalay and Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, were also damaged.


Residents in Yangon rushed out of their homes when the quake struck. There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.


In the capital Naypyitaw, the quake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground and some homes.


In Bangkok, alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1:30 pm and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels.


The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.


Water from high-rise rooftop pools sloshed over the side as they shook and debris fell from many buildings as the long-lasting earthquake rattled the city.


"I have experienced earthquakes twice before in Myanmar, but that was only one second, one big bang, but here it went on for at least, I'd say, a minute," said Zsuzsanna Vari-Kovacs, a Hungarian resident of Bangkok, who had just finished eating at a restaurant when the quake hit.


"My husband was in a high-rise, I think that's even worse."


Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention said the quake was felt in almost all regions of the country.


Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called an emergency meeting to assess the impact of the quake.

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