India, Sept. 19 -- There was a time when Chandigarh roads were quieter, roundabouts less crowded, the sectors still carried freshness of new city, and the great concrete buildings designed in spirit of modern Chandigarh stood almost like declarations of a new India. PGIMER was already beginning to acquire an identity of its own. More than six decades later, one does not simply say "PGIMER" in Chandigarh. The name carries memories.

For some, it means childhood visits with parents. For others, it brings back anxious journey of taking a beloved to the hospital. For thousands of families, it is associated with a doctor who offered reassurance at difficult moments, successful operations, long nights spent waiting or news that changed everythi...