Dr. Bhaskar Gaitonde (22/02/1898 - 10/01/1963) :

The life story of Dr. Bhaskar Dattatraya Gaitonde, grandfather of Dr. Dilip Gaitonde, is ample proof that when there is determination and dedication, destiny also can’t help but play a favourable role. It is simply amazing how a poor farmer’s son, growing up in Bamboli, a remote village in Konkan, beat the odds and reached the gates of the prestigious Grant Medical College, Mumbai through hard work, focus and unexpected financial help from an aquaintance. However, even more inspirational is the fact that after completing his MBBS in 1927, young Dr. Bhaskar refused an offer to go to England for FRCS and instead set up practice in the small town of Kankavli. He had seen the lack of basic medical facilities in Konkan, especially regarding childbirth, and he was determined to rectify the situation.
Many times through his career Dr. Bhaskar would travel for miles on foot or on his bicycle to attend to those too ill to come to the clinic. Once, he even swam across a river to reach a patient. Monetary compensation was never his primary goal and at times he was known to financially help extremely poor patients who could not afford nutritious meals and medicines.
Even outside his medical practice he was looking to do his bit for the society. He started the first English medium school in Kankavli and he even found time to teach English there. Being an accomplished harmonium and tabla player himself, Dr. Bhaskar supported visiting classical musicians in all ways. Due to ill health he was advised to move to Kolhapur in 1942 and in no time became a popular physician even in this new place.
Dr. Bhaskar Gaitonde was amply rewarded for his dedicated service by the love and adulation of his patients which has even outlasted his lifetime. More than 30 years after his demise, an occasional patient would walk into Bhaskar Eye Clinic and enquire with tears in his eyes whether Dr. Dilip Gaitonde was related to Dr. Bhaskar Gaitonde of Kankavli.
This is the legacy we aspire to carry forward at Bhaskar Advanced Eye Care