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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.”

Putin the Peacemaker?

Russia’s pitch to mediate in the Middle East is more about image-building than genuine diplomacy.

As tensions mount between Israel and Iran, another actor has stepped onto the stage: Vladimir Putin. More than three years into his invasion of Ukraine and increasingly isolated from the West, the Russian president has offered his services as a potential mediator in one of the world’s most combustible regions. It is a familiar role for Moscow, which has long tried to project itself as an indispensable broker in Middle Eastern affairs. But this time, the offer is met with far more scepticism and for good reason.


Russia’s diplomatic overtures began swiftly after Israel launched strikes on Iran last week. Putin was quick to place calls to both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later lamented Israel’s ‘reluctance’ to accept mediation and insisted that Russia remained committed to peaceful dialogue. It was a performance heavy on the language of neutrality but thin on credibility.


Russia’s ties to the region are not in question. Moscow has longstanding, if now strained, relations with Israel, bolstered in part by a sizeable Russian-speaking population. More crucially, its alliance with Iran has grown far deeper. Tehran has become one of Moscow’s most important military partners, supplying the Russian army with drones and missiles for use in Ukraine. In January, the two countries signed a broad strategic partnership agreement aimed at formalising their growing alignment.


Such entanglements make Russia’s claims to impartiality increasingly hard to sustain. Analysts across Europe and beyond have pointed out that any mediator must be, if not neutral, then at least trusted by both sides.


The criticism is echoed by Western leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron recently dismissed the idea that a state currently waging a large-scale war in Europe and in breach of the UN Charter could credibly mediate another conflict.


Yet Putin’s diplomatic gambit must be viewed through the wider lens of Russia’s ongoing attempt to escape the isolation imposed by its invasion of Ukraine. Earlier, too, Moscow has used the Middle East before to claw back international relevance. After its 2014 annexation of Crimea, Russia leveraged its intervention in Syria and support for the Iran nuclear deal to reassert itself diplomatically. It is attempting the same playbook now.


Putin has also signalled an interest in restarting negotiations with Kyiv, even expressing a readiness to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky. But these overtures come with caveats. The Kremlin has consistently sought to undermine the legitimacy of Ukraine’s leadership, claiming that Zelensky’s presidency lacks legal standing - an assertion grounded more in propaganda than in constitutional fact. Ukraine, under martial law and amid continuing attacks, is legally barred from holding elections. Nonetheless, such narratives are gaining traction in parts of the American right.


For Moscow, the Israel-Iran conflict and the war in Ukraine are not separate theatres but interconnected opportunities. By presenting itself as a responsible stakeholder in one crisis, Russia hopes to ease the diplomatic pressure in the other. It also sends a message to allies and fence-sitters across the Global South that Russia remains a relevant power, capable of influencing outcomes far beyond its borders.


Whether this strategy succeeds remains to be seen. Many in the region and beyond remain wary of Moscow’s intentions, and not without cause. Russia’s deepening alliance with Iran complicates its image as an honest broker. Meanwhile, its presence on the ground in Ukraine continues to undermine the very norms of sovereignty and restraint it now claims to champion.


The international community would do well to recognise both the symbolism and the limitations of Russia’s offer. There is value in broad diplomatic engagement, and the absence of dialogue rarely improves the odds of peace. But granting Moscow a central role in any negotiation - be it in Gaza or Kyiv - requires a suspension of disbelief that few can afford, including Donald Trump.


Putin may want to be seen as the architect of peace. For now, he remains one of the chief authors of the disorder.

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