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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.”

Rebels and Realignments in Western Vidarbha’s Chessboard

Rebels and Realignments in Western Vidarbha’s Chessboard

Western Vidarbha has become a hotbed of factionalism and defections, earning a reputation as a land of motormouth leaders. With exactly a month to go for the big fight, the districts of Amravati, Buldhana, and Akola are rife with political intrigue, where former allies have become adversaries, and new alliances are changing the landscape ahead of the Assembly election.


In Amravati, the ever-volatile Bacchu Kadu has emerged as a key disruptor. Once aligned with the ruling Mahayuti, the leader of the Prahar Jan Shakti party is now spearheading a new alliance — the Parivartan Mahashakti Aghadi (in conjunction with farmer leader Raju Shetti and Maratha royal Sambhaji Chhatrapati) — aiming to upend both the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti and the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA). People are fed up with both the BJP and Congress, claimed Kadu claimed recently while declaring he would clear the air on the ‘third front’ on November 4.


Meanwhile, Rajendra Shingne, a five-term legislator from Sindhkhed Raja, has jumped ship from the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to Sharad Pawar’s camp. The seasoned politician, who was sidelined during cabinet selections by Ajit Pawar, has aligned with the MVA, much to the consternation of the Mahayuti.


As the political gears grind towards the Assembly election, the BJP remains strong in this region. But the Mahayuti is plagued with internal rifts. Rumors swirl of more defections, with even former BJP minister Ganesh Naik in talks to join Sharad Pawar’s faction, potentially bringing his son Sandeep along for the ride.


The schism between CM Shinde’s Sena and the BJP could spill over in the Assembly contest if not checked. Soon after the Lok Sabha results, two former Shiv Sena MPs, denied tickets in the general election, had categorically blamed the ruling alliance’s poor performance on the BJP.


Krupal Tumane, previously representing Ramtek, accused BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule of orchestrating his exclusion, claiming Bawankule pressured Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to replace him with Congress defector Raju Parwe, leading to the constituency’s loss. Bhavana Gawali, dropped from Yavatmal-Washim, suggested similar external pressure forced Shinde to drop her candidacy, reflecting growing tensions between the alliance partners.


Adding to the drama in this region is the unpredictable Rana factor. Navneet Rana, the former Lok Sabha MP from Amravati, had faced a stunning defeat in the Lok Sabha elections at the hands of Congress’s Balwant Wankhade. Her husband, Ravi Rana, a sitting MLA, recently announced that Navneet will step aside from the Assembly race, instead eyeing a Rajya Sabha seat with the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This has done little to ease tensions within the Mahayuti, as Bacchu Kadu had actively campaigned against Rana in previous elections. Rana said his wife would be campaigning wholeheartedly for the BJP’s candidate.


Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), another significant factor in this region, particularly Akola, is also navigating rough waters. Once an ally of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and a near-ally of the MVA, Ambedkar snapped ties with the opposition after seat-sharing talks collapsed, deciding to go it alone in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.


The move cost his party dearly in the Lok Sabha results, with its vote share drastically reduced in the constituencies it contested.

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