Healing through Portable Clinic

Be it the lashing monsoon rains, the scorching summer heat, or the biting chill of winter, Dr. Abhijit Sonawane, general physician and social worker, sets out on his two-wheeler, carrying a portable clinic to heal the beggars on the streets in Pune. Behind his quiet armour lies the journey of a man who once dreamed of being the most feared goon but instead became the doctor who heals the forgotten. His story proves that the journey toward becoming a social worker is more powerful than the destination which is nothing short of a movie

"I treated a beggar and helped him with some medicine, but the way he cared for me still brings tears to my eyes. Even while begging, he would offer me money and food when I was struggling to support my family. He is my Messiah"

He was destined to serve the ones society often forgets - the needy, the poor, the voiceless. Let us paint you a superhit Dharma script – a typical 90s movie. Once a boy who dreamt of becoming the local don, Abhijit Sonawane’s journey took a sharp turn toward medicine. From charging just ₹5 per patient in early 2000s, to earning a comfortable ₹5 lakh a month, he seemed to have achieved the life most would never give up. Yet, he walked away from the luxury, security and stability. Instead, he chose the pavements and corners where most of the destitute live. For over a decade now, Abhijit has healed more than 1,500 beggars, bringing not just medicine, but dignity and humanity to those who had lost hope. His story is one of life coming full circle.

A childhood in shadows

Abhijit’s story was stitched between his quiet hometown of Mhaswad, in Satara, and the transient cities his father’s government postings took the family to. “Sure, my father was a doctor, but I wanted to become a goon, feared by everyone,” Abhijit recalled with a wry smile. School was a struggle he somehow survived, as if the universe had other plans for him. “I wasn’t interested in studies. I even failed my Std. X twice and barely scraped through 12th with 47 percentage,” he added with a chuckle, “Courtesy of my father’s hardwork, a bit of luck from the stars, and some goofy mistakes by other college students (the miscreants tried to get through the college by cheating), I got selected in a Medical College in Kolhapur while they didn’t.”

A poem that changed his life

The path ahead was anything but smooth. Low on confidence and heavy with self-doubt, Abhijit admitted, “I wasn’t good at studies, had no friends, and low confidence. I would often sit in my room, staring into nothingness, thinking about the hardships that inanimate objects and animals endure, and write poems about them.”

So, how can this child rise to such heights of humanity and humility? One day, while secretly scribbling verses during a lecture, a professor caught him. Panicked and sweating, Abhijit braced for reprimand, but instead, the professor asked him to recite his poem aloud. The classroom erupted in applause while some students were moved to tears by his words.

“That moment changed everything,” he recalled. The same professor began encouraging other students to approach him with curriculum questions, and gradually, Abhijit started studying seriously, making friends along the way. “It made me believe in the goodness of people,” he said. The professor, in his own enigmatic way, played the game of Angel, who against all odds betted on Abhijit’s worth and his passion.

Becoming a doctor—meeting his Messiah

Defying every adversity, Abhijit’s earned his medical degree in 1999. Yet hardship followed him even beyond graduation. With no stable job in sight, he took on odd assignments in his field. “Someone suggested me to start giving medicines door-to-door as doctor, which barely earned me Rs 5 per patient,” he recalled.

It was during those trying days that he encountered the person on the pavements of Pune who would transform his life. The man who Abhijit simply calls his Messiah. A beggar by circumstance, he offered Abhijit lessons that no classroom ever could. “I just treated him and helped him with some meds, but the way he cared for me still brings tears to my eyes,” Abhijit said as his voice trembled. “Even while begging, he would offer me money and food when I was struggling to support my family. He is my Messiah,” he adds.

Birth of 'A Guardian Angel'

In the early 2000s, Abhijit’s grit earned him a job that took him across Maharashtra and on several international work trips. Slowly, steadily, he rose. And eventually, enjoying a chauffeur-driven car and a salary of Rs 5 lakhs per month. Yet, success felt hollow. “I was missing something,” he confessed.

He longed to reconnect with the man who had once given him hope—his Messiah. But, when he returned to meet him, he learned the man had passed away. Heartbroken, Abhijit was reminded by his wife, Manisha, of the Messiah’s words, “I don’t want you to repay me. Help others, and create a chain reaction, so no needy’s cry goes unheard.” It was in that hitting moment that Abhijit became the Messiah himself.

"I have several mothers, several fathers, and just as many brothers and sisters – they are all the beggars of Pune. We have started India’s first centre for beggars’ rehabilitation in holistic manner"

His healing touch

Abhijit believes there are two kinds of leaders—those who crush others, and those who lift them up. He chose the latter. In 2014, when his demanding six-figure job prevented him from continuing his social work, he made a bold decision. Abhijit quit, dedicating himself entirely to his passion.

Now, his constant companion is a two-wheeler with a tent, carrying over 200 kgs of clinic equipment that contains everything except the surgical tools. Where others turn a deaf ear to the marginalised, Abhijit responds with care and compassion. From treating flu to more serious illnesses, he works with both skill and heart. He helps the beggar men shave, bathe and regain dignity, empowering everyone as if they were his own family. The beggars trust him implicitly, confiding in him before making life-altering decisions.

Abhijit has treated over a thousand patients, each leaving a mark on his journey. One remains unforgettable—he funded the operation of a 22-year-old lying on the road after an accident. He urged the young man to make the most of his second chance at life. Years later, in a story that seems lifted from a movie, the boy nicknamed Shahrukh for his striking looks heads a renowned hotel kitchen in the city. He now wants to be the next Abhijit.

For Abhijit, Pune is more than a city, it is his family. “I have several mothers, several fathers, and just as many brothers and sisters—they are all the beggars of Pune,” he said. “Recently, we have started a training and development centre for the beggars, where five physically challenged beggars have started working and living with dignity. This is India’s first centre for beggars’ rehabilitation in holistic manner. Soon, I plan to replicate this model in other cities,” he adds. Even his own family bows to his humility and compassion, recognising the truth behind his title - the Guardian Angel.