Name : Dr. Ravindra Kolhe and Dr. Smita Kolhe
Location : Melghat, Maharashtra
Profession : Doctor and Social Activist
In the remote forests of Melghat, Maharashtra, life was once very hard. Many tribal villages had no proper roads, no electricity, and no nearby hospitals. Pregnant women gave birth without medical help, children suffered from malnutrition, and many infants did not survive their first year.
For years, this suffering went unseen.
Until Dr. Ravindra Kolhe and Dr. Smita Kolhe chose to make Melghat their home.
Choosing Service Over Comfort
In 1985, Dr. Ravindra Kolhe completed his medical studies. Like many doctors, he could have chosen a comfortable life in a city hospital. Instead, inspired by Gandhian values, he decided to serve people who had nothing.
He travelled to Bairagarh village in Melghat, a place so remote that reaching it meant long walks through forests after the bus ride ended.
He was so shocked to see children dying due to hunger and illness, pregnant women without medical care, and no awareness about nutrition or hygiene. He realized that Melghat didn’t just need a doctor — it needed hope.
Learning More to Help Better
Dr. Ravindra understood that treatment alone was not enough. So, he went back to study Preventive and Social Medicine, learning how poverty, food, hygiene, and education affect health. After completing his studies, he returned to Melghat — not for a short project, but for life.
Dr. Smita Kolhe Joins the Mission
Dr. Smita Kolhe, a homeopathy doctor with deep compassion, joined Dr. Ravindra as his life and work partner. Moving to a tribal village was not easy, especially for a woman with a young family. But she stayed.
When Dr. Smita delivered her own child in Melghat instead of going to a city hospital, the villagers understood something important. She was not only working for them; she was living her life like them. This was when the trust among them strengthened.
Healthcare for Everyone, Not Just the Rich
The Kolhe couple treated patients for almost no cost — sometimes charging only ₹1 or ₹2, and often nothing at all. They focused mainly on pregnant women, newborn babies, and malnourished children.
At one time, Melghat had extremely high infant death rates. Through regular check-ups, nutrition guidance, safe deliveries, and awareness, the Kolhes helped reduce these deaths dramatically.
Because of their timely care approach, they saved thousands of children.
Fixing the Real Problems Behind Illness
While living in the region, the Kolhes soon understood a hard truth. People were not sick only because of the disease, but also because of poverty. So, they expanded their work beyond medicine.
Dr. Ravindra studied agriculture to help tribal farmers grow better crops. He introduced new seeds, improved farming methods, and cash crops like turmeric and ginger.
When farmers hesitated, the Kolhe family grew these crops themselves to prove it could work.
Dr. Smita played a key role in educating women and families about nutrition, breastfeeding, clean water, hygiene, and family health. They trained local people to become health workers so that villages could take care of themselves.
With their help, villagers understand government schemes, apply for pensions, and get food through ration systems.
Honoured, But Still Working
In 2019, the Government of India awarded Dr. Ravindra and Dr. Smita Kolhe the Padma Shri for their extraordinary service. But awards never changed them.
They continue to live simply in Melghat, working every day to improve healthcare, education, and livelihoods.
Looking at their story, we learned that real change doesn’t come from money or power — it comes from staying, caring, and never giving up. They did not treat Melghat as a project. They treated it as their home.
A True NobleStory
This is not a story of heroes in headlines. It is a story of two doctors who chose compassion over comfort, and in doing so, they changed thousands of lives forever.