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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.”

Waqf Wars and Cracks in the Lotus

The BJP’s campaign against Waqf Board land claims is energizing its base but is instead exposing fault lines within its leadership.

Waqf Wars

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka has found its latest battleground to corner the ruling Congress-led government over the contentious issue of Waqf lands. A recent rally in Belagavi led by senior BJP leaders, was the latest in a series of protests accusing the state’s Waqf Board of overreaching its mandate and laying claim to land owned by Hindu farmers and religious institutions. While this campaign has amplified a long-standing grievance among sections of the BJP’s base, it has also laid bare divisions within the party’s state unit.


The anti-Waqf movement, spearheaded by former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, comes amid allegations that the board has arbitrarily increased its land holdings to over six lakh acres, a figure that BJP leaders contend lacks transparency. Party firebrands such as Basanagouda Patil Yatnal have framed the issue as a threat to property rights, accusing the Waqf Board of targeting Hindu-owned lands.


Historical tensions over Waqf governance are hardly new. Originating as charitable land endowments during Islamic rule, Waqf properties have frequently been the subject of legal and political disputes in modern India. Critics of the current system argue that it lacks oversight and accountability, often leading to allegations of encroachment and corruption. The BJP’s push for reforms echoes similar actions in Andhra Pradesh, where the board’s powers were curtailed under Chandrababu Naidu’s government.


However, what distinguishes Karnataka’s protests is the political theatre surrounding them. Despite the strong turnout of senior BJP figures at the rally—including Jarkiholi, Arvind Limbavali, and Pratap Simha—several local legislators conspicuously stayed away. The absence of unity has fuelled speculation about deeper fractures within the party, particularly as Yatnal continues to publicly criticize state president B.Y. Vijayendra for alleged ‘adjustment politics’ with the ruling Congress government.


Yatnal, a polarizing figure within the BJP, has become emblematic of the party’s internal strife. His vocal dissent, coupled with a show-cause notice issued by the BJP’s Central Disciplinary Committee, underscores the leadership’s struggle to contain rebellion. These tensions were exacerbated by the BJP’s poor performance in recent bypolls, which Yatnal attributed to compromised leadership and backroom deals with Congress.


The Waqf controversy has thus become both a rallying cry and a flashpoint for Karnataka’s BJP. On the one hand, it allows the party to consolidate its Hindu vote base by framing the issue as a matter of property rights and justice. On the other, it seems to be exacerbating internal divisions within the party at a time when unity is critical.


Karnataka has historically been a bellwether state for the BJP, offering a foothold in the south and a proving ground for its ideological narratives. But as the anti-Waqf agitation gathers momentum, the party’s national leadership faces a delicate balancing act: championing its base’s demands for reform while addressing the fractures that threaten to undermine its cohesion.


In this battle over land and legitimacy, the BJP may find that its real challenge lies not in confronting the Waqf Board but in reconciling the contradictions within its own ranks.

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