The last moments of Indira Gandhi through the eyes of a pioneer woman doctor

Not much for the life of Sneh Bhargawa looks ordinary.

In 1984, she became the first woman to lead the Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the capital Delhi – one of the best medical institutions in the country – and in her almost 70 -year history remains the only woman to do so.

90 years of borgawa – one of the pioneer radiologists in India – began to write his memoir, The woman who was running Aiims, which was published earlier this month and 95 continues to remain an active member of the medical community.

From the choice of radiology, when it still appeared in the 1940s, to one of its most famous practitioners, Dr. Bhargie’s heritage is nothing but extraordinary.

Not unlike her first day of working as the upcoming AIIMS director, which was nothing but a fire test.

It was on the morning of October 31, 1984, and a meeting was held at the hospital to confirm its appointment after Indian Gandhi’s then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, chose her for the role.

Dr. Brahovo was not part of the meeting, but he was in his office, examining the medical cases for the day. She remembers in her memoir, hearing a colleague frantically calling her, asking her to rush to the victim ward.

There, lying on Gurney, was the woman herself, who chose Dr. Bragawa to head the hospital – Indira Gandhi. Her saffron was soaked in blood and she had no pulse.

“At that time, I did not focus on the fact that it was the Prime Minister who was lying in front of me,” Dr. Bhargawa told the BBC. “My first thoughts were that we had to help her and also to protect her from more harm,” she said.

Dr. Brahovo was worried that the mafia would storm the victim ward, as a large crowd has already begun to gather outside the hospital.

The news began to tingle: Gandhi was shot dead by two Sikhist bodyguards in revenge for Operation Blue Star, the military raid of the Amitar Golden Temple in June to throw away the fighters.

Gandhi’s murder caused one of the most deadly riots that India has seen, whose start to which Dr. Bhargawa began to hear as she hurried to move the Prime Minister to one of the best floors of the building.

There at the Sikhist Operation Theater, a doctor escaped from the room the moment he heard Gandhi died.

The news of her death had to be held under packaging, while her son, Rajiv Gandhi, was not sworn as a Prime Minister.

“By then, our work in the next four hours was to maintain the Sharade we were trying to save our lives when it was actually dead when it was brought to Aims,” ​​writes Dr.

She also described the process of excruciating processes of embalming of the body of the Prime Minister, which will lie in the country in the capital two days before the cremation.

“The embalming chemical, when we injected it into various main arteries, continued to wear out,” writes Dr. Later, a ballistic report will reveal that over three dozen bullets have pierced Gandhi’s body.

But this was not the only remarkable episode in the long and significant career of D -R Borgie in Aiims.

In the book, she shares fascinating anecdotes from her interactions with other prominent politicians, including the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru.

She also remembers that Sonia Gandhi brought her son, young Rahul to Aims after arrow grazing her head while he was playing.

“Sonia Gandhi told me that she had to bring Rahul to us because Rajiv (her husband) met with the King of Jordan, and the latter gave him a fantasy as a gift that her husband wanted to drive,” she writes in the book.

Rajiv Gandhi wanted to drive Rahul to Aims himself, without security, as a surprise – but D -Ruhgava stopped him firmly, citing safety concerns.

But not every day was so exciting.

Dr. Bhargawa remembers political pressure, including a MP who threatened her that he did not choose his son-in-law to work at AiMS.

On another occasion, two senior politicians, including the Federal Health Secretary, tried to choose the Aiims dean – although the decision was only hers.

Dr. Bhargava says she has been firmly from pressure, always giving priority to patient care. It works to establish radiology as a major part of AIIMS diagnostics and treatment.

When Dr. Brahovo joined in the 1960s, Aiims had only basic image tools. She trains colleagues to read fine signs in black and white X-rays, always in the context of the patient’s history. Later, she focused on better equipment, helping to build one of the leading departments of a radiological service in India.

D -Bhargawa has always been attracted to make a change.

Born in 1930 in a wealthy family in Lahore in an integral India, as a child, she liked to play a doctor of dolls and brothers and sisters. During the division of India and Pakistan, the family of Dr. Brahovo escaped to India and later she will visit refugee camps with her father to help people.

At a time when few Indian women are involved in higher education, Dr. Bragawa is studying radiology in London – the only woman in both her class and the hospital ward.

She returned to India in the 1950s after hearing from her mentor that the country needed qualified radiologists.

Dr. Bhargawa often credit her family, and her husband’s liberal consciousness will help her achieve her dreams, and she hopes other Indian women find the same support.

“It starts from childhood,” she says.

“Parents need to support their daughters in the same way that they support their sons. Only then will they be able to break the glass ceilings and reach for the stars.”

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