top of page

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.”

What If Rabindranath Tagore Had Stayed a Lawyer?

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

What If Rabindranath Tagore Had Stayed a Lawyer

The remarkable cultural efflorescence known as the ‘Bengal Renaissance’ triggered by Warren Hastings’ appointment as governor of Bengal in 1772 can be bookended between the birth of Ram Mohun Roy (the same year) and the death of Rabindranath Tagore in 1941.

This Renaissance threw up luminaries from William Carey to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay to Toru Dutt to Swami Vivekananda and Jagadish Chandra Bose. The movement, marked by a synthesis of Eastern and Western intellectual traditions, found its zenith in Rabindranath Tagore. But what if Tagore had succumbed to familial pressures to pursue a career in law rather than the arts?

Born in 1861 into a remarkable and dazzlingly erudite family (the Tagores of Jorasanko), Rabindranath was youngest of Debendranath Tagore’s 14 children.

In his superb and wonderfully accessible book ‘Awakening: the story of the Bengal Renaissance’ (2010) Subrata Dasgupta describes how Rabindranath’s elder brother, Satyendranath, in an exasperated bid to make his precocious 17-year-old brother “professionally respectable, took him to England to study for the Bar.” After two years as a quintessential dilletante, Rabindranath returned to India which he later said was one of “utter disorderliness.”

Yet this decision to forsake a conventional career would mark the beginning of a path that redefined Indian cultural identity. Two years after his return as a lawyer manque, he produced ‘Sandhya Sangeet’ (1882), which was highly regarded by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay. In 1883, he wrote ‘Nature’s Revenge’ and his first novel

These early works set the stage for a career that would eventually lead to the creation of ‘Gitanjali’ — the immortal collection of poems which sent W.B Yeats (and countless others since then) into raptures earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, making him the first non-European laureate.

While he may have still written some luminous short stories or poetry, a full-time career in law would have stifled these creative impulses, leaving a gaping void in both Bengali and global literature.

But the instant recognition and influence of Tagore as composer has even exceeded that of Tagore the poet and novelist. In Rabindra Sangeet, he created a completely new genre of contemporary popular music. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka would not have had their national anthems had he remained a lawyer and iconic songs like ‘Ekla Chalo Re’ would perhaps not have come into being.

But Tagore’s influence extended far beyond his literary works. His establishment of Santiniketan in 1901 and Visva-Bharati University later on redefined education in India, promoting a learning environment that valued creativity and intellectual freedom over rote memorization. His role in the Bengal Renaissance was not just as a cultural icon but also as an educational reformer whose vision reshaped the pedagogical landscape of India. A life in the courtroom would have precluded these contributions, depriving Indian education of one of its most visionary architects.

Moreover, Tagore’s global appeal—rooted in his ability to bridge Eastern and Western thought—might have been confined to the courtroom. His interactions with legions of Western intellectuals like Ezra Pound, H.G. Wells, G. B. Shaw and his dialogues on spirituality and universalism, created a unique intercultural dialogue that enriched global understanding. Without his towering voice, a vital conduit for East-West exchange would have been lost and India would have been deprived of a profound cultural ambassador.

Comments

bottom of page