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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.”

Uneven Greatness

India has done it again. Before more than 85,000 spectators at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the national side overwhelmed New Zealand by 96 runs to claim a third ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title and becoming the first side to win the tournament thrice.


The cricketing world quickly joined the chorus of celebration. India piled up a staggering 255 for five before dismissing the Kiwis for 159, a margin that underlined their dominance in the shortest format. Opener Sanju Samson, continuing a remarkable run of form, struck another blistering innings, earning the Player of the Tournament award. Meanwhile, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah delivered a devastating spell of 4 for 15 on what was otherwise a batting paradise, securing Player of the Match honours.


Praise flowed freely from former England captains Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen, who hailed India’s white-ball dominance, to past and present Indian greats including Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. Even across the border, former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar credited India’s success to deep structural strength and long-term planning.


India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, looked beyond the trophy cabinet. With cricket set to feature at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he suggested that India would now aim for Olympic gold alongside yet another T20 World Cup crown.


All this praise is deserved. India has become the undisputed powerhouse of white-ball cricket. Its batting depth is formidable, its bowling attack versatile, and its bench strength enviable.


Yet celebration should not erase recent embarrassments in the Test format. Barely two years ago, India endured one of its most humiliating episodes in its cricketing history when New Zealand had inflicted a stunning 3-0 Test series whitewash on India at home. It was the first time a visiting side had swept a three-Test series in India in more than 90 years. For a team that once treated home conditions as an impregnable fortress, the defeat was startling.


The following season brought further setbacks against the South Africa national cricket team, underlining the uncomfortable truth that India’s dominance in T20 cricket has not translated into similar authority in longer formats.


While T20 cricket rewards audacity and improvisation, Test cricket demands patience, discipline and endurance. India has mastered the first art spectacularly. The second, once its proudest strength, now appears more fragile.


This matters because India is not just another cricketing nation chasing trophies. It is the game’s financial and cultural centre of gravity. When India excels only in the shortest format, the message being sent out is that spectacle matters more than substance.


The country’s greatest cricketing memories - from epic Test victories abroad to grinding home dominance - were forged over five days rather than twenty overs.


None of this should diminish the present triumph. But glory can also breed complacency. For all the fireworks in Ahmedabad, Indian cricket would do well to remember that T20 titles merely bring gallery applause. True greatness demands something longer.

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