I spent my former years growing up in Tamil Nadu. Medicine was a choice made for me and not by me. After completing my MBBS from Tirunelveli Medical College, I was gravely disturbed by the inequalities in health, I fortunately stumbled upon the fellowship, and I saw it as a way to get away from the sick mainstream and towards the people.  This one year strengthened my ideas to bring change.  To the rest of the young docs, I'd like to say - Don't be at peace with finding your privilege, always be disturbed by it. Get into an internal conflict, which will make a change externally and internally.

You can reach me at kalaidasan23@gmail.com

 I grew up in Haryana and pursued my medical education at VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. Amidst the uncertainty of my internship, I joined the Fellowship, driven by a desire to explore beyond my medical studies. During this experience, I not only gained insights into primary healthcare and community engagement but also discovered profound insights about myself. After completing the fellowship, I am now spending quality time at home, reconnecting with my roots and focusing on my studies. Inspired by a mentor's words, I live by the mantra, "Don't hold yourself back from doing something, just because you're scared." Outside of my medical pursuits, I am passionate about literature, comics, music, and travel, which enrich my life beyond the realm of medicine.

You can write to me at divyamanchanda24@gmail.com

  I am a physiotherapist from Gujarat with a postgraduate specialization in Women’s Health. After completing my postgraduation in 2014, I spent 7 years in a physiotherapy college (KM Patel Institute of Physiotherapy, Karamsad, Gujarat) teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students and managing patients in the OPD and IPD. 

 In 2021, I decided to quit my job along with my husband, Shyamsundar to take a year’s break to explore different things. We as a family (along with our 5-year-old son) traveled to different places in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. We did a road trip from Gujarat to Kanyakumari. During this period, I witnessed how social determinants affected the health of tribal communities in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu and how an organization like Tribal Health Initiative could influence these social determinants to improve the health and well-being of the community. I gained first-hand experience in providing physiotherapy services in resource-constrained settings to those in most need of the same. We are working on providing rehabilitation services at the doorstep of the community through our Community-Based Rehabilitation program and extending physiotherapy services through clinics in different locations of our district.

  We visited several places practicing alternative approaches to education and learning, which gave us the confidence that formal schooling is not the only way a child can learn and that there were better alternatives. 

  I like writing poetries, trekking, being in nature, and learning new things with my son.

  I am a community and family physician from Gujarat, India. After completing my postgraduation in 2011, I worked for almost a decade at my alma mater (Pramukhswami Medical College, Karamsad, Gujarat). My childhood experiences and the environment of my institution created a spark in me to contribute to better community health. 

 In my first job, I designed and implemented community projects, worked with the state and the central government for health systems strengthening, and also performed teaching and research roles. I quit the job in 2021 while I was an Associate Professor in Community Medicine and heading a separate department managing community health programs. In this gap year, I learned essential skills in family medicine, made friends with like-minded people, explored different places doing innovative and meaningful things, and had a lot of adventurous experiences. The Travel Fellowship was quite instrumental in helping me gain all these experiences. It helped us prepare as a family to live in remote tribal locations because of which we could come to Dangs in Gujarat. 

  The organization with which I work currently is Bhanshali Trust. We have started a primary care clinic in the bordering areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra. We also run a telepsychiatry program and a community-based rehabilitation program. Our plan is to develop a comprehensive primary health care program in 100 villages surrounding our clinic. 

  I like trekking, listening to Kabir songs, exploring new places and being in nature.