ABSTRACT
During the spring of 1969, my grandmother Bai had taken me to Dr Dattatrey Sadashiv Parchure for a physical examination. Apparently, as an infant I had been quite ill and Bai had given up on standard remedies prescribed by my paediatrician. She had convinced my parents that a consultation with Dr Parchure might reveal alternative therapies for my illness, as he specialized in Ayurvedic medicine and had acquired a prominent reputation as a local healer in the central Indian city of Gwalior. After a brief examination, as I am told, Dr Parchure queried my grandmother about my name when he was filling out a prescription for some medication. Bai replied that the family had not given an official first name as yet, but that I had an informal household name. Dr Parchure asked if it would be possible for him to give me the name Vinayak, and my grandmother accepted the doctor’s request.
