Dr Ravindra Kolhe

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Ravindra Kolhe is a doctor and an Indian social activist who is working for people living in the remote village areas of Bairagarh in the Melghat region of Maharashtra. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe finished his MBBS degree in 1985 from Nagpur Medical College. He was the first person from his family to become a doctor.Dr. Ravindra Kolhe was inspired by the books of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave. Ravindra came across a book with the title Where There Is No Doctor by David Werner and thats when he decided that he would work in a place that is far away from any medical facility. He chose Bairagarh, a small village in Melghat, Maharashtra as to reach this village, a person had to walk 40kms. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe living in his house in Melghat.Dr. Ravindra Kolhe spent six months in Mumbai before moving to Bairagarh to learn a few things. According to one of his professors Dr. Jaju, any doctor working in remote areas needs to learn few things like how to deliver a baby without proper facilities like sonography and blood transfusion, how to diagnose pneumonia without an X-ray, and how to cure diarrhea.Dr. Ravindra Kolhe started working in Melghat to help people cure their illness. Kolhe would charge a fee of Rs. 1 per patient as the people living in the village were dependent on farming and didnt have enough money to afford healthcare facilities. Kolhe had almost 400 patients. Kolhe left Melghat in 1987 to complete his MD. He prepared a thesis on malnutrition in Melghat and his work got the attention of the world as BBC Radio covered Melghat bringing it to everyones notice.In 1989, Dr. Ravindra Kolhe got married to Dr. Smita, who was practicing in Nagpur. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe was living a simple life and he wanted his partner to accept that life too. Before marrying he had four conditions the girl should be ready to walk 40kms, she should have no objection against the Rs. 5 wedding (cost of court marriages in the late 90s was Rs. 5), she should know how to manage their expenses with Rs. 400 per month, and if needed, she would not hesitate to beg for the welfare of others. Before Smita, hundreds of women rejected Dr. Ravindra Kolhe because of his conditions.Dr. Ravindra Kolhe earned the villagers trust with his work as he successfully worked in improving the health conditions of the people living in Bairagarh. The infant mortality in the region reduced from 200 per 1000 to 40 per 1000. The pre-school mortality rate dropped from 400 per 1000 to 100 per 1000. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe treating a patient in the village.Dr. Ravindra Kolhe also learned about the anatomy of animals from a veterinary doctor and he studied agriculture in Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola so he could help the villagers with their cattle and plants related problems as well.Dr. Ravindra and Dr. Smita Kolhe worked together to develop a fungus-resistant variety of seeds and started farming. The couple also organized several camps to raise awareness amongst the youth about new farming techniques, how they can save the environment, and other beneficial government schemes.In 2019, Dr. Ravindra Kolhe and Dr. Smita Kolhe received Indias fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Shri. This award was given to them by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe receiving the Padma Shri from the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind.On 4 December 2020, Dr. Ravindra Kolhe and Dr. Smita Kolhe participated in the show Kaun Banega Crorepati for their Karamveer Special episode.