Shriram Clinic

Our clinic, Shriram Clinic, is situated on Balapur Road in Shegaon, right in the area known as Bhoot Bangala. It’s an old name for the neighborhood that everyone around here uses. The clinic is in a sturdy brick building that has stood for a long time. We have a small porch out front where people sometimes sit if the waiting room is full. Balapur Road is a main path, so we get a lot of dust from the passing trucks. We have to wipe down the benches every few hours. Inside, the atmosphere is very quiet compared to the noise outside. We have a few rooms divided by thin wooden partitions. You can hear the muffled voices from the next room, but nobody seems to mind. We have a small table with some old magazines and a bowl for candy for the kids. Most of the families in this part of Shegaon have been coming to us for years. We know their names and their stories. My helper, Suresh, keeps the medicine cabinets organized. He’s been with us since we opened. We don’t have an appointment book; it’s first come, first served. On Mondays, it’s usually very busy with people who waited through the weekend. We just keep going until the last person is seen. The floor is made of old polished cement that stays nice and cool under your feet. It’s a plain, practical place for the community.