Dr Sphoorti Pai, an inspiration to new generation doctors

Media Release
September 26, 2020

Mangaluru, Sept 26: Taking up medicine and becoming a doctor is a challenge for many youngsters these days, as the profession faces the onslaught of new diseases and viral pandemics like Covid-19. It also has to deal with social miscreants taking law into their hands and physically attacking doctors for silly reasons.

Swimming against the current, one young lady has not only chosen medicine as her profession, not just completing Post Graduate specialisation in General medicine, but she has also excelled in the field by reaching the highest level of Super Specialisation in India today, that is DM (Doctor of Medicine). She is Dr Sphoorti Pai, hailing from Shivamogga in Karnataka.

Dr Sphoorti Pai has completed DM in Endocrinology from St John's Medical College, Bengaluru and has scored the highest marks in Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences. That is something for all the young doctors to ponder, as not many reach her level, nor do they match her performance. She has done that while curing hundreds of ailing poor patients in the hospitals that she has worked over the years.

Dr Sphoorti P Pai is the elder daughter of Dr Prashanth Kumar Pai and Sucheta Pai.  She did her schooling from 1st to 10th at Vasavi Vidyalaya, Kote Road, Shivamogga, completed her PUC at DVS Composite PU College, Shivamogga, MBBS and MD (General Medicine) from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore. Her credentials are listed at the end of this article.

Sphoorti's father Dr Prashanth Kumar Pai is a senior consultant physician at Sahyadri Hospital Shivamogga. He is also an exponent of Hindustani Tabla and her mother Sucheta Pai is a Post Graduate in English literature from Manasagangotri Mysore. She was a lecturer at Kuvempu University Shivamogga. She is a good homemaker and an enthusiast in Hindustani Classical vocal.

Her younger sister Dr Pranati Pai is a graduate in Dental Sciences from SDM Dental College, Dharwad. At present Dr Pranati is pursuing MDS in Prosthodontics from Bapuji Dental College, Davangere. She was the under-9 yrs State Champion in chess and has won many prizes in chess tournaments. She is also good at singing and sketching.

Her paternal grandparents Shanthi Pai and Late Raghupathi Pai are from Hosangadi in Udupi District. Her grandfather was a merchant and agriculturist. Dr Sphoorti's maternal grandparents Dr Suresh D Isloor and Dr Veena S Isloor established their own nursing home Sahyadri Hospital in Shivamogga in 1964, and the hospital celebrated Golden Jubilee in 2014. Dr Suresh Isloor has been conferred the prestigious Dr BC Roy Award for his contribution in the field of Medicine. Dr Isloor is a specialist in both Eye and ENT, which is again rare in the field of medicine.

Dr Sphoorti Pai is married to Vignesh Prabhu, who is a graduate in Engineering from Bangalore Institute of Technology and MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Rohtak. He is currently placed as Manager at SLK Software, Bangalore.

Dr Sphoorti Pai's achievements:

• Class topper in school

• National Talent Search Examination Scholar – State level 25th rank and received the prestigious national scholarship from 10th standard till completion of MBBS.

• Has represented Karnataka State team, which won the gold medal in 51st National School Games 2005-2006 at Vishakapatnam.

• Has won many prizes in district, state and national level chess tournaments.

• Essay on environment was selected for publication in a book which was released by the then President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2006.

• Has won prizes in essay competions, drawing and music.

• Secured 6th rank in medical, 17th rank in engineering, 4th rank in ISMH in CET, Karnataka in 2008.

• 6 Gold medals in Pathology, ENT, General Medicine, Topper in 3rd and 4th year MBBS and Best outgoing student graduating from Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute in 2014.

• 13th rank in PGCET for MD entrance in 2014.

• 7th rank in MD General Medicine from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in 2017.

• 28th rank in medicine branch for NEET super specialty entrance examination in 2017.

• Completed DM Endocrinology from St John’s Medical College Bangalore in 2020.

• Her hobbies are playing chess, singing, drawing pencil sketches and cooking.

• When asked about how she could achieve all that at such a young age, she just smiles and says, "One should have honesty, self-confidence, genuine interest and dedication in what one does. Then impossible becomes possible".

• Dr Sphoorti Pai has future plans to excel in the field of endocrinology and contribute to the well-being of her patients and society.  

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News Network
January 23,2026

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot read only three lines from the 122-paragraph address prepared by the Congress-led state government while addressing the joint session of the Legislature on Thursday, effectively bypassing large sections critical of the BJP-led Union government.

The omitted portions of the customary Governor’s address outlined what the state government described as a “suppressive situation in economic and policy matters” under India’s federal framework. The speech also sharply criticised the Centre’s move to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, commonly referred to as the VB-GRAM (G) Act.

Governor Gehlot had earlier conveyed his objection to several paragraphs that were explicitly critical of the Union government. On Thursday, he confined himself to the opening lines — “I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the joint session of the State legislature. I am extremely pleased to address this august House” — before jumping directly to the concluding sentence of the final paragraph.

He ended the address by reading the last line of paragraph 122: “Overall, my government is firmly committed to doubling the pace of the State’s economic, social and physical development. Jai Hind — Jai Karnataka.”

According to the prepared speech, the Karnataka government demanded the scrapping of the VB-GRAM (G) Act, describing it as “contractor-centric” and detrimental to rural livelihoods, and called for the full restoration of MGNREGA. The state government argued that the new law undermines decentralisation, weakens labour protections, and centralises decision-making in violation of constitutional norms.

Key points from the unread sections of the speech:

•    Karnataka facing a “suppressive” economic and policy environment within the federal system

•    Repeal of MGNREGA described as a blow to rural livelihoods

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of protecting corporate and contractor interests

•    New law alleged to weaken decentralised governance

•    Decision-making said to be imposed by the Centre without consulting states

•    Rights of Adivasis, women, backward classes and agrarian communities curtailed

•    Labourers allegedly placed under contractor control

•    States facing mounting fiscal stress due to central policies

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of enabling large-scale corruption

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News Network
January 19,2026

New Delhi: Setting speculation to the rest, the CPI(M) has made it clear that it is open to have an electoral understanding with the Congress “to defeat” the Trinamool Congress and the BJP in West Bengal Assembly election even as it is all set to take on the grand old party in Kerala accusing it of “found wanting” in fighting the Hindutva forces.

The CPI(M) also said that it will contest the Tamil Nadu election “with DMK and its allies to defeat the BJP and its allies”, amid a section in the Congress triggering confusion about its participation in the M K Stalin-led coalition over demand over power-sharing and more seats. It is also willing to join hands with Congress and others in Assam and Puducherry to defeat the BJP.

The decisions came at a three-day meeting of the CPI(M) Central Committee in Thiruvananthapuram, which ended on Sunday after reviewing the poll preparations in the poll-bound states.

The CPI(M)'s decision came even as a section led by West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar is averse to tying up with the Left Front, claiming that their party is not benefitted by the electoral understanding. Both Congress and CPI(M)-led Left Front had electoral understanding in 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Congress and the Left Front fought together for the first time in 2016 when Congress won 44 seats and the CPI(M) got 26. In 2021, the Left Front and the Congress drew a blank. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress managed to win one seat while the Left did not win any. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, both fought against each other with Congress winning two and the Left none.

“In Bengal, the party will work for the defeat of both the TMC and the BJP, which are trying to polarise the society. We will try to rally all the forces that are ready to work against them,” the CPI(M) said in a statement without naming Congress by name. Senior leaders said there is no change in its strategy of pooling all non-BJP, non-TMC votes.

However, the party was critical of the Congress in Kerala where both will fight against each other.

The CPI(M) said it would "expose the BJP-led Union government’s denial of rightful dues to Kerala, the fiscal constraints imposed and the overall attack on federalism" as also "expose the failure of the Congress to effectively counter this attack on federalism, as the largest opposition party in the Parliament".

"The Congress, especially in Kerala, was found wanting in the fight against communal RSS-BJP, ideologically and this will also be exposed before the people," it added.

In Assam, it said, the CPI(M) will work for the mobilisation of all the anti-BJP parties and forces and defeat the rabidly communal and divisive BJP government. The Left parties are cooperating with Congress in the north-eastern state. In Puducherry, it said it will work for the defeat of the BJP alliance government.

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