This story is from January 28, 2022

Born in Marathwada, brought up in Vidarbha, worked in Konkan, researcher for entire humanity

Born in Marathwada, brought up in Vidarbha, worked in Konkan, researcher for entire humanity
Nagpur: Dr Himmatrao Bawaskar is a son of Maharashtra in the real sense. He was born in Dehed, a non-descript village in the then Aurangabad and now Jalna district of Marathwada. The family later shifted to Buldhana district, where he completed his schooling. When he decided to become a doctor, he came to Nagpur and completed his MBBS. He went to Mumbai for his MD.
He worked in Mahad tehsil of Raigad district in Konkan at a government public health centre for almost 40 years. He researched several subjects – prominently scorpion and snake bite oral medicines. For the region where he was brought up, Dr Bawaskar’s research on kidney problems in Vidarbha due to cadmium in groundwater was path-breaking.
Dr Bawaskar had a candid chat with TOI Nagpur after being named for the Padma Shri for 2022, and narrated some inspiring anecdotes from his childhood in Buldhana and his days at the medical college in Nagpur.
“My father, Saluba, was an unlettered man. But villagers used to call him ‘Barrister’. He got this nickname for his passion of educating his children, especially sons. He was a farmer. But decided to leave farming and become a labourer so that he could earn money for our education,” recalled Dr Bawaskar, who shifted from Dehad village to Dudha village in Buldhana district along with his family just for good education.
The incident that inspired his father to give up farming is also very touching. “We had 8 acre land gifted to my father by his maternal uncle, who remained unmarried to look after us. But this land was not enough for us, so my father used to also cultivate 20 acre land of a Brahmin family that lived in Jalna. Once, my father went to give the annual account of their land produce to the family. There, he was served good quality food in stainless steel utensils. When he asked how the landlords earn so much money for good food and utensils, the family said they were educated and had jobs. That was the moment my father decided to leave farming and educate all of us,” Dr Bawaskar said.
His journey in Vidarbha began in 1960s when the family shifted to Buldhana district. His elder brother went to Amravati for further studies and Dr Bawaskar had to live in a temple – Sitaram Mandir at Buldhana. “I used to clean the temple, look after the book shop run by the Panditji, bring groceries for the temple and much more. I stayed there for four years and cleared my matriculation with 74%. I was selected for GMCH Nagpur for MBBS. Entry fee was Rs400, and I had no money at all,” said Dr Bawaskar, while expressing gratitude for his college principal in Buldhana who paid the Rs400.

Dr Bawaskar reached Nagpur, and it was a nightmare for him, being a student from a village background. He became an introvert, a bookworm and lost confidence in medical college days. He also suffered from depression during this phase. “I left medical college and went back home. Friends, teachers, even my elder brother was against me leaving MBBS. At this time, my mother, an unlettered woman, gave the therapy of life to me,” said Dr Bawaskar.
His mother started taking him to the farm along with her and he used to work for hours together. “Exercise and hard work destroyed the perishable accumulated chemicals stored in the body cells, and increased serotonin and dopamine in the brain and reduced my depression. I recovered by 1975 due to my mother and the mother earth,” he says. Needless to say, he cleared MBBS with flying colours and stood second in the university.
Dr Bawaskar also recalled his association with Dr KD Sharma, a veteran in pathology field at Nagpur, who used to teach him. It was Dr Sharma who recognized the researcher potential in Dr Bawaskar and referred him to Mumbai’s BJ Medical College for MD in Medicine.
“Dr Sharma was the man who instilled the values of research, service to poor people in me. When my first paper got published in Lancet, Dr Sharma appreciated me a lot. This admiration made my path clear. I decided to research. That too in villages, for the villagers,” Dr Bawaskar said.
Dr Bawaskar’s story after this is known to all. He joined the primary health centre Birwadi and studied in detail clinical signs and symptoms of venomous scorpion sting and published an original article in the Lancet in 1982. After completing MD, he volunteered to work in a rural hospital at Poladpur in Raigad district to continue the research on scorpion sting. His doctor wife Pramodini joined his venture. In 1983, the couple tried sodium nitroprusside and then prazosin, an alpha blocker to reverse the refractory pulmonary edema due to scorpion sting. The fatalities due to scorpion sting dropped to 1% from 44% in all these years. Dr Bawaskar still lives in Konkan, and now runs his own clinic.
For Vidarbha, Bawaskar said his research on chronic renal failure associated with heavy metal contamination of drinking water has been a major contribution. “Eleven years ago, we had suggested that RO processed water be promoted in districts like Akola, Buldhana, Yavatmal. Today, RO water is everywhere and renal failure cases are down in Vidarbha,” he said.
Dr Bawaskar grabbed the limelight during the pandemic when he treated Covid-19 patients without remdesivir. He still believes that oral drugs are enough if we treat Covid early. “I have treated thousands of patients and cured them without remdesivir. The present phase of Covid is end phase, and we must focus on complete vaccination now. Nothing to worry about,” he said.
Though he cherishes fond memories of Vidarbha, he has never thought of returning. “From Dehed to London, my journey is long. I could not even return to attend my father’s funeral in 1983 as I was treating an 8-yr-old serious patient when I got the telegram. My life is dedicated to a cause. I can work for years for this cause of research for the poor. Wherever I may live, I am working for my people,” Dr Bawaskar said.
BOX
MAN OF THE MOMENT
Humbly accepts Padma Shri as recognition of his research in medicine
Dedicates it to his patients in and around Mahad who trusted him
Spends Rs1 lakh annually from his income on research, never asked for grant or sponsorship
Speaks fearlessly against cut practice and other ill practices in medical field
Believes that treating doctor can be best researcher and villages are best research sites
Believes Covid-19 can be treated like any other flu, provided vaccination is complete
Confident that pandemic is in last phase, and life will be normal soon
author
About the Author
Chaitanya Deshpande

Chaitanya Deshpande is Principal Correspondent at The Times of India, Nagpur. He has a PG degree in English literature and Mass communication. Chaitanya covers public health, medical issues, medical education, research in the fields of medicine, microbiology, biotechnology. He also covers culture, fine arts, theatre, folk arts, literature, and life. Proficient in Marathi and Hindi along with English, Chaitanya loves music, theatre and literature of all three languages.

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