Dr. Ravindra Kolhe is a physician and an Indian activist who has dedicated more than 35 years of his life to improving the lives of the people of the tribal district of Melghat in Maharashtra. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe is known in India as the “1 rupee doctor” because he charges 1 rupee for his medical assistance. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe, along with his wife, Dr. Smita Kolhe, cares for the tribal people and helps them lead healthier lives.
Wiki/Biography
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe was born in 1962 (now 61 years old; 2023) in Shegaon, Maharashtra. The first doctor in his family, Ravindra Kolhe obtained his MBBS degree from Nagpur Medical College in 1985. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe was a well-read man and was inspired by the works of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave. Ravindra wanted to put his medical knowledge to use for a greater good and that’s when he read the book Where There Are No Doctors by David Werner. He decided to work in Bairagarh, a small village in Melgat, Maharashtra, as there were no medical facilities in the village and people had to walk 40 km to reach the village.
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe treats patients in the village
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 5″
Eye color: Black
Hair color: Gray
family
Parents and siblings
Dr. Ravindra’s father’s name is Deorao Kolhe. He works in the railways. There is not much information about his mother and siblings.
Wife and children
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe married Dr. Smita in 1989. Dr. Smita Kolhe is a doctor specializing in Ayurveda and Homeopathy. They have two sons – Rohit Kolhe (a farmer) and Ram Kolhe (a doctor).
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe and his wife Dr. Smita Kolhe
Profession
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe received his MBBS from Nagpur Medical College in 1985. Dr. Ravindra Kolhe decided to provide basic medical assistance to the tribal people of Melghat, Maharashtra, to improve their conditions. However, before leaving the village, he spent six months in Mumbai to learn some of the things he would use while working in remote areas. He learned how to deliver babies without proper facilities like ultrasound and blood transfusion, how to diagnose pneumonia without X-rays, and how to treat diarrhea. Since the people in the village were poor, Dr. Ravindra charged Rs. 1 per patient. Ravindra Kolhe left the village in 1987 to pursue his MD. While pursuing his MD, he prepared a paper on the problem of malnutrition in Melghat, and his paper attracted the attention of people all over the world. BBC Radio reported the story of Melghat, which helped to bring everyone’s attention to the village. Dr. Kolhe’s work with the tribal people helped him reduce the infant mortality rate in the area from 200 per 1,000 to 40 per 1,000 and preschool mortality from 400 per 1,000 to 100 per 100. People started raising issues related to their cattle and fields, so Dr. Ravindra Kolhe spent a year learning basic animal anatomy from a veterinarian. He also learned agriculture and farming from Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth in Akola. With his knowledge, he developed a fungus-resistant seed variety and started using these seeds for farming.
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe lives in the house in Melgat
Awards and Honors
- In 2019, Dr. Ravindra and Dr. Smita Kolhe received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award, from Indian President Ram Nath Kovind.
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind awards Padma Shri to Dr Ravindra Kolhe
Facts/Trivia
- When Dr. Ravindra Kolhe started looking for his better half, he put four conditions. These conditions were – the girl should be willing to walk 40 km as it was the distance to reach Bairagarh. Secondly, she should be ready for a ‘5 rupee wedding’ (the court marriage fee at that time was 5 rupees). The girl should be willing to spend 400 rupees per month for her livelihood (he charged 1 rupee per patient and he had 400 patients per month). The last condition was that she should also be ready to beg for the benefit of others if needed. Dr. Smita agreed to all these conditions and married him.
- Dr. Ravindra Kolhe and Dr. Smita Kolhe and their son Rohit Kolhe are dedicated to forest conservation. They track the environment and its changing cycles every four years. The Kolhe couple can even predict droughts and help villagers prepare. The couple also incorporates the public distribution system into their farming and living techniques to ensure that farmers have enough food even during the rainy season. This has made Melgat a suicide-free zone for farmers.
- The couple’s struggle to improve the lives of the tribal people has finally paid off, with the village finally having good roads, electricity and 12 primary health centres. The couple now helps transport patients to the nearest government hospital so that they can get the best medical treatment.
- Dr. Ravindra Kolhe and Dr. Smita Kolhe appeared in Karamveer’s special episode of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ on December 4, 2020.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education