The life of Sneh Bhargava is marked by extraordinary achievements.
In 1984, she broke ground as the first woman to direct the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, a leading medical institution. Notably, she remains the sole woman to have held this position in the institution’s nearly 70-year history.
At the age of 90, Dr. Bhargava, a pioneering figure in Indian radiology, began writing her memoir, The Woman Who Ran AIIMS, which was recently published. At 95, she continues to be an active and respected member of the medical community.
From her early adoption of radiology in the 1940s when it was still an emerging field in India to her rise as one of its most renowned practitioners, Dr. Bhargava’s legacy is truly remarkable.
Her first day as the director-designate of AIIMS was a dramatic trial by fire.
On the morning of October 31, 1984, a meeting was underway at the hospital to formally confirm her appointment, a decision made by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Dr. Bhargava was not present at the meeting; instead, she was in her office reviewing patient cases. As she recounts in her memoir, she heard a colleague urgently summoning her to the emergency ward.
There, on a gurney, lay Indira Gandhi, the very person who had chosen Dr. Bhargava to lead the hospital. Her saffron sari was saturated with blood, and she had no pulse.
“At that moment, my focus wasn’t on the fact that it was the Prime Minister before me,” Dr. Bhargava shared with the BBC. “My immediate thoughts were about providing assistance and protecting her from further harm.”
Dr. Bhargava feared that a mob might storm the emergency ward, as a large crowd had already begun to gather outside the hospital.
News began to spread that Gandhi had been shot by two of her Sikh bodyguards, an act of revenge for Operation Blue Star, the military operation to remove militants from Amritsar’s Golden Temple in June.
Gandhi’s assassination ignited one of India’s most devastating riots, the early stages of which Dr. Bhargava witnessed as she worked to move the Prime Minister to a secure location on one of the building’s upper floors.
In the operating theatre, a Sikh doctor left the room immediately upon learning of Gandhi’s death.
The news of her death had to be suppressed until her son, Rajiv Gandhi, could be sworn in as the new Prime Minister.
“For the next four hours, our task was to maintain the appearance that we were trying to save her life, even though she had already passed away upon arrival at AIIMS,” Dr. Bhargava writes.
She also details the difficult process of embalming the Prime Minister’s body, which would lie in state in the capital for two days before the cremation.
“The embalming fluid kept seeping out when we injected it into the main arteries,” Dr. Bhargava recounts. A subsequent ballistic report revealed that Gandhi’s body had been struck by over three dozen bullets.
However, this was just one notable episode in Dr. Bhargava’s distinguished career at AIIMS.
In her book, she shares fascinating anecdotes about her interactions with other prominent political figures, including India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
She also recalls Sonia Gandhi bringing her son, a young Rahul, to AIIMS after he sustained a head injury from an arrow while playing.
“Sonia Gandhi explained that she had to bring Rahul to us because Rajiv (her husband) was meeting the King of Jordan, who had gifted him a fancy car that he was eager to drive,” she writes.
Rajiv Gandhi had wanted to drive Rahul to AIIMS himself, without security, as a surprise – a plan that Dr. Bhargava firmly discouraged due to safety concerns.
But not every day was filled with such high-profile events.
Dr. Bhargava also recounts instances of political pressure, including a Member of Parliament who threatened her for not hiring his son-in-law at AIIMS.
On another occasion, two influential politicians, including the federal health secretary, attempted to influence the selection of the AIIMS dean, a decision that was solely hers.
Dr. Bhargava states that she stood her ground against these pressures, always prioritizing patient care. She dedicated herself to establishing radiology as a vital component of diagnosis and treatment at AIIMS.
When Dr. Bhargava joined AIIMS in the 1960s, the institute possessed only basic imaging equipment. She trained colleagues to identify subtle details in black-and-white X-rays, always considering the patient’s medical history. She later advocated for improved equipment, contributing to the development of one of India’s leading radiology departments.
Dr. Bhargava has always been driven by a desire to make a difference.
Born in 1930 into a prosperous family in Lahore, pre-partition India, she enjoyed playing doctor to her dolls and siblings as a child. During the partition of India and Pakistan, Dr. Bhargava’s family fled to India, and she later accompanied her father to refugee camps to assist those in need.
At a time when few Indian women pursued higher education, Dr. Bhargava studied radiology in London, where she was the only woman in both her class and hospital department.
She returned to India in the 1950s after her mentor informed her of the country’s urgent need for skilled radiologists.
Dr. Bhargava often credits her family, particularly her husband’s progressive views, for enabling her to achieve her aspirations, and she hopes other Indian women will find similar support.
“It begins in childhood,” she says.
“Parents should support their daughters in the same way they support their sons. Only then will they be able to break through barriers and reach their full potential.”
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