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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.”

Tadoba tiger reserve attracts rare birds

Mumbai: Grassland bird species are thronging the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra's Chandrapur in the natural meadows created due to the relocation of six villages from its core area, an exercise which began 19 years ago, as per officials.


The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has taken up a conservation breeding project focused on restoring some of the endangered bird species in Maharashtra, including the Lesser Florican that has been sighted in and around TATR in the last three to four years.


The Mumbai-based wildlife research organisation is currently assessing the potential of the tiger reserve, located in the Vidarbha region, for the conservation project, especially post-relocation of villages.


Talking to PTI, BNHS director Kishor Rithe described TATR as one of India's most successful and biologically rich tiger landscapes.


Spread over 1,700 square kilometres, including buffer and 625 sq km core area, the reserve is home to more than 100 individual tigers, making it one of the most important conservation landscapes in central India, he said.


The reserve is characterised by dense bamboo dominated forest, rich prey base and a network of perennial water bodies which offer ideal conditions for the survival of tigers, Rithe said.


The process

After the relocation of half-a-dozen villages from the core zone, a process which began in 2006, an area spread across 926 hectares, which once comprised settlements and agriculture fields, has now turned into meadows, where there is no presence of human beings or domestic animals, he said.


"The village relocation was done to provide inviolate areas for tiger breeding. Tiger recovery has certainly been recorded, but we have also found the recovery of grassland bird species. Apart from Lesser Florican, there are Yellow-Wattled Lapwing and Painted Sandgrouse in the newly-developed grasslands. This is a positive sign and good indication (of birds making the area their home),' he said.


According to Rithe, the Lesser Florican inhabits dry grasslands and scrublands. It has also adapted to some agricultural landscapes having short crops. It often lays eggs on ground and feeds on insects, seeds and berries.


Sufficient grass or crop cover is vital in its breeding season. The endangered bird, limited to pockets in a few states, is at risk due to vanishing and deteriorating grasslands, he pointed out.


After the relocation of villages from the core of TATR, plant species, palatable and non-palatable grasses have regenerated, the BNHS director said.


Plant species

Leguminous plant species like Rantur, Ranmethi, Ranmoog and Ran Udid have also regenerated in the core area.


The TATR administration, under the guidance of grass expert Dr G D Muratkar, has grown grass plots in the area and propagated the same, the official informed.

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