Sushila Nayar

"His (Gandhi's) basic thinking was that individual is a part of the little bit of that universal divine, a divinity within man, and it is that basic concept of the divinity within man which has to be developed, which has to be brightened, so that he becomes a part of the universal divine. And if you do, if you establish a connection with that universal divine, then your part becomes unlimited."

Sushila Nayar (1914-2001)
From interview in "Understanding Gandhi: Gandhians in Conversation with Fred Blum," Edited by Usha Thakkar and Jayshree Mehta, p 336, Sage Publications, 2011.

Dr. Sushila Nayar was a respected physician and close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. In 1939, Nayar joined Gandhi’s movement for Indian freedom, and as a young medical school graduate, singlehandedly led the fight against a cholera outbreak in the city of Wardha. This feat of leadership caught Gandhi’s attention, and he praised her courage, capability, and commitment to public service. Soon after, Gandhi appointed Nayar as his personal physician, and she became an integral part of his “Quit India” movement. Following Gandhi’s assassination, Nayar moved to the United States and received two degrees in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. In 1950, Nayar returned to India, where she continued to serve various communities through her medical expertise. Most notably, Nayar served under prime minister Jawarhalal Nehru as India’s public health minister.