Back to Mumbai will always bring a flood of memories. Back in this city, I Atul Bhiwapurkar Milpitas probably took some of my first steps into the world of medicine, and here my instinct toward healthcare was nurtured. While now I am based in Milpitas, California, and actively involved in professional healthcare consulting, education, and advocacy in the U.S., this recent trip to Mumbai had a very personal and profound significance.
Let me share with you my travels as a visitor reconnecting with an old city, but maybe also as a medical professional rekindling the essence of service and caring.
My reconnection with Mumbai: a city that formed my philosophy
Nostalgia hit my consciousness the moment the plane wheels kissed the ground at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. I have always loved this organized chaos—organized in its own way, energies pouring into its ambiance, living and breathing with emotion. From the aroma of street vada pav to the spectacle of local trains pulsating with life, everything reminded me of this electoral vocation in healthcare, my choice to serve people, more so in places like this high-density urban ecosystem.
So, actually, I planned this visit as a tangible medical outreach effort more than just a break free from everything; something I have been looking forward to since the world began healing after COVID. My mission is to establish relations with local medical institutions, visit clinics in the underserved areas, and offer Atul Bhiwapurkar Profile experience wherever possible for a difference.
A Visit to Sion Hospital: Where Passion Meets Persistence
Among the first pit stops on my travel itinerary was Sion Hospital (Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital), which I have always revered for its non-compromising service in spite of hindrances. I met with quite a number of senior physicians and medical interns; we discussed challenges currently facing urban health care-from overcrowding to infectious disease management.
What stood out the most to me was the young residents’ dedication. In the face of glaringly scanty resources, they all show full commitment. I offered to host a few virtual seminars with them over the next few months focusing on diagnostic innovation and integrative care models we’re using in the U.S.
We also probed into the context of mental health in India-a field that is fast becoming a concern for the country. I did share how Silicon Valley-based practices are then merging mental health screenings into the regular check-up, which is something I believe would work well at Mumbai’s community clinics.
Dharavi Community Health Center: A Humbling Experience
No visit to Mumbai sounds complete without volunteering in Dharavi-as if the biggest slum in Asia has inside it a resilient and active community fighting for its right to livelihood. I spent two days volunteering at a clinic run by an enthusiastic team of doctors and nurses from a small non-profit with local intervention. I was not the eminent expert from California, but rather, I’m a colleague among many in one of those frontline fights with professionals who grapple every day with patients suffering from tuberculosis, malnutrition, and poorly controlled chronic illnesses.
I Atul Bhiwapurkar California recall meeting a lady named Rekha, a mother of three who has been dealing with diabetes for some years. Just after a few minutes of speaking to her, I grasped that she has never received any proper guidance on diet or lifestyle or even on her insulin management. I sat down with her and her family, broke it down to what really matters, and then worked with the clinic team to get her onto a portable regimen.
This was a reminder: knowledge alone is not enough; communication and accessibility are, as well, powerful tools in health care.
Working with Tata Memorial Hospital: Oncology with Compassion
Cancer care in India is changing rapidly, and I wanted to do my bit, however little, to contribute. I had the good fortune to be at Tata Memorial Hospital, the foremost cancer research center in India, interacting with patients, observing interactions of oncologists, and discussing approaches to palliative care.
It was an event that defined the day; the sight of a 9-year-old boy with leukemia fighting for his life. His spirit unbroken, and the strength of his parents beyond words. I took the opportunity to talk to the pediatric oncology team and tell them about how we define our cancer care by family therapy and child psychology at UCSF and Stanford Medical Center. We discussed possible remote training for their team in coordination with my network of California professionals.
This is how it should be: cultural respect, mutual enrichment, and maintaining the dignity of patients.
Personal Reflections from Marine Drive
One evening, after two clinics on either side of the noon hour, I sat on a bench at Marine Drive watching the sun go down into the Arabian Sea. How far Atul Bhiwapurkar California had come—one student with a dream of handing a white coat into a healthcare professional working in one of the most advanced systems in the world. But at that moment, cradled in the Arabian Sea breeze with the Mumbai traffic echoing in my ears, I felt an intensely close connection with the people I met during this trip.
Whether Rekha in Dharavi or the students at KEM, they reminded me why I set out on this journey—to assist others in living a healthy life, irrespective of where they happen to be born.
Returning to Milpitas, Carrying with Me Mumbai
Back in Milpitas, I am suddenly struck again by the way this trip transformed me—professionally and personally. I am already drafting a proposal for a collaborative telehealth venture between clinics in the Bay Area and community health centers in Mumbai. It will also link with an online mentorship program for Indian medical students wanting to build careers in global medicine.
I Atul Bhiwapurkar Milpitas think my dual positioning—with roots in India and with professional grounding in California—gives me the responsibility to weave together the two worlds. This philosophy is captured in Atul Bhiwapurkar Linkedin Profile—the global, the grounded, the positive impact.
If you read this and feel a similar call—to return, to give back, to grow—please listen to it and act on it. Medicine becomes something more than a profession; it is a relationship of life with humanity. For me, and for that relationship, Mumbai will always remain etched in.
