Dr. Ravindra Kolhe is a doctor and an Indian activist who has spent more than 35 years of his life improving the lives of people living in the tribal areas of Melghat, Maharashtra. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe is famous across the country as “Rupay”. 1 Doctor” because he earns Rs. 1 fee for his medical assistance. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe along with his wife Dr. Smita Kolhe is working to take care of tribal people and help them lead healthy lives.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe was born in the year 1962 (age 61 years; as in 2023) in Shegaon, Maharashtra. Ravindra Kolhe was the first doctor in his family and completed his MBBS degree from Nagpur Medical College in 1985. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe was an educated person and was inspired by the books of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave. Ravindra wanted to use his knowledge about medicines for a greater cause and came across David Werner’s book ‘Where There Is No Doctor’. He decided to work in Bairagarh, a small village in Melghat, Maharashtra because there were no medical facilities in the village and a person had to walk 40 kilometers to reach the village.
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe is treating a patient in the village.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 5″
Eye colour: black
Hair Color: Gray
Family
parents and siblings
Dr. Ravindra’s father’s name was Devarao Kolhe. He was working in the Railway Department. There is not much information about his mother and siblings.
wife and children
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe married Dr. Smita in the year 1989. Dr. Smita Kolhe is a doctor specializing in Ayurveda and Homeopathy. They have two sons – Rohit Kolhe (farmer) and Ram Kolhe (doctor).
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe with his wife Dr. Smita Kolhe
livelihood
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe completed his MBBS degree from Nagpur Medical College in the year 1985. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe decided to contribute to the upliftment of the tribal people in Melghat, Maharashtra by providing them basic medical aid. However, before going to the village, he spent six months in Mumbai to learn a few things that would come in handy while working in remote areas. He learned how to deliver a baby without proper facilities like sonography and blood transfusion, how to diagnose pneumonia without X-rays and how to treat diarrhoea. Dr. Ravindra charged Rs. 1 per patient because the people of the village were poor. Ravindra Kolhe left the village in 1987 to complete his MD studies. For his MD he prepared a thesis on the problem of malnutrition in Melghat and his thesis attracted the attention of people all over the world. BBC Radio Melghat came forward to cover the story, which helped bring the village to everyone’s attention. Dr. Kolhe’s work with the tribal people helped him reduce the infant mortality rate in the region from 200 per 1000 to 40 per 1000 and the pre-school mortality rate from 400 per 1000 to 100 per 1000. People started coming forward with problems related to their cattle and farms so Dr. Ravindra Kolhe spent a year learning the basic anatomy of animals from a veterinarian. He also studied agriculture from Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Agricultural University, Akola. With his knowledge he developed fungus-resistant varieties of seeds and started farming using those seeds.
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe lives in his house in Melghat.
Awards and honors
- In 2019, Dr. Ravindra Kolhe and Dr. Smita Kolhe received India’s fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, from the President of India Ram Nath Kovind.
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe receiving the Padma Shri award from the President of India Ram Nath Kovind.
Facts/General Knowledge
- When Dr. Ravindra Kolhe started looking for his life partner, he had four conditions. These conditions were – The girl should be ready to walk 40 km as that is the distance she would have to cover to reach Bairagarh. Second, he must be ready for the ‘bucks’. 5 marriage’ (at that time court marriage used to cost Rs 5). The girl should be ready to manage financially with Rs. 400 per month (his per patient fee was Rs 1 and he had 400 patients every month). The last condition was that he should be ready to beg if needed for the welfare of others. Dr. Smita accepted all these conditions and married him.
- Dr. Ravindra Kolhe along with Dr. Smita Kolhe and her son Rohit Kolhe focused on forest conservation. They monitored the environment and the cycle of changes in the environment that occurred after every four years. Kolhe could predict drought and help villagers prepare for it. The couple also incorporated the public distribution system into their farming and living techniques to ensure that farmers got enough food even during the rains. This made Melghat a suicide free zone for farmers.
- The couple’s fight to improve the lives of the tribal people paid off and the village eventually had good roads, electricity and 12 primary health centres. The couple now helps take their patients to nearby government hospitals so that they can get the best medical treatment.
- Dr. Ravindra Kolhe and Dr. Smita Kolhe were seen in the Karmaveer special episode of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ on 4 December 2020.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn