Doctor's Diary

Doctor’s Diary

(Friends, hundreds of thousands Gujarati readers are acquainted with Dr Sharad Thakar”s

two popular columns : “Doctor's Diary” & “Rann Ma Khilyu Gulab” since last  18 years. I too have read him in different newspapers earlier and presently read him in “Divya Bhaskar”.

When he arrived at Nihar… with severe pain, we were in a way happy.

We were grateful to this pain which brought Dr Thakar saheb to us.

Dr Thakar saheb was cured at Nihar Arogya Mandir and he wrote about this on

11^th January, 2012  in “Kalash” ( a weekly supplement of Divya Bhaskar daily newspaper )

We received numerous telephones and many came to us for treatment also with full faith in us ,

because Dr Thakar saheb had fully narrated  his case history.

It is a matter of deep satisfaction for us that inspite of practising as MD (Gynec) ,

Dr.  Thakar saheb placed immense  faith in naturopathy and was  kind enough to re-write

 the episode for us for our journal “Anupan”

 – Mukesh Patel )

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“How are you, doctor”, I was repeatedly greeted one day in September by a barrage of telephone calls.

I would answer: “ See, I am not well. I am sick”. Quickly came a second question: “ You mean even  doctors fall sick ?” Boring questions. I would reply: “ Not only doctors fall sick, but they die also. Many of the greatest doctors of this planet are presently in the heaven today.”

My bad luck was at its peak on 16^th Sept.  I had travelled to visit one institution. But I got a bad bargain. Two hundred kms journey one way was completed entirely in a bus. The vehicle was large,  spacious and comfortable but the roads were very bad.

They were perhaps the most underdeveloped  roads in our  otherwise most  developed state. The monsoon season was just over. There were pot holes  all across the roads, reminding of the tar and grit which was there once upon a time.  We had a rough ride and with every jolt, now & then,  I would sigh painfully:  “ ah”, “ouch” and “ oh my god”.

I was back home a little past midnight, fully wrenched, turned and twisted – just like a damp garment that has been processed  in  a washing machine.

The road journey had created a two-fold problem: My back had been jolted beyond my capacity to bear and I got  a swelling in my stomach and intestines. The waist was sprained and repeatedly gave me shooting pain from one specific point. I could not sleep for the whole night. To cure hyper acidity, I took two tablets but the nausea continued  till morning.

First thing in the morning, I rang up a friend who was an orthopaedic surgeon: “ when you start from your home for the clinic, please do  visit  my residence on the way”. He asked: “ Why, what is wrong with you?”. I replied: “ I will tell you when we meet.”

He could sense  my boredom in my voice and was with me in next few minutes. He asked me again: “ what is wrong with you?”

I was soon describing the problem in detail: “ The sciatica nerve passing through the two spinal discs  seems to have been injured. There is non stop sensation in right leg. It feels like some type of electrical current .

We have studied the human anatomy and the complete route of sciatica nerve. I am able to narrate it without any dissection of the body, because whole of it is paining. I am unable to sleep,  in whichever  position I may try.

I have tried sleeping in each and every position, turning to right and left, sleeping on my stomach, on my back, sleeping on four ‘legs’ like a frog,  keeping pillows on both sides, but no relief. The electric current is running non-stop.”

Doctor examined me and then advised : “ Your judgement is correct. The jumpy bus ride has injured your spinal discs. Sciatica nerve has been inflamed. Take some pain killer tablets and also bed rest for some days. You will be alright”.

I quickly disagreed: “ Bed rest is impossible. Where is rest or sleep? There is huge work load. Pain killer tablets do not suit me. I have my loyal, age-old acidity problem which no doctor has been able to treat so far. These tablets cause vomits.’

“Never mind,  take them together  with antacid tablets ”, he said.

“ I am doing that. I am gulping down all sorts of them; digene, ranitidine, famotidine, rabeprazole , domperidon, and what not. I have emptied in my throat half a bottle of mucaine gel also. I have been taking only cold milk and ice cream. Inspite of all this,  a small fire is burning in my stomach”.

He suggested his last remedy: “ take paracetamol”. I said: “ I can’t. For me, it is not vomit-proof.

My orthopaedic friend had nothing more to offer.  He did not say it in so many words that ‘my dear, this is all that allopathy can do for you’. But his helplessness was clearly visible on his face.  He gave me some  words of consolation and left.

I kept tossing  for three long days and nights. I was unable to sit in my consulting chair , yet I was forced to sit. I was tired and was losing the battle.

Suddenly, a name flashed brightly on my mental screen!

Before some months, I was introduced to one gentleman: Mukesh Patel. He runs a nature cure clinic .. Nihar Arogya Mandir. He and his wife  make a  zealous and enthusiastic pair. He regularly  publishes various articles written by Kanti Bhatt, Gunvant Shah & also by my close friend Madhav Ramanuj in his magazine ‘Anupan’. He has even published some articles from my “Doctor’s Diary and  I had also visited his clinic once for attending some  meeting.

I rang him up immediately: “ Mukesh bhai, I have this type of problem and if you can treat me without a single tablet or capsule, I can come to you.” He affectionately said ‘yes’ and I started for his clinic with my dear, obedient wife.

Mukesh bhai and Deepika bahen heard my problem with keen interest. Then Mukesh bhai asked me: “ your food intake will have to be strictly regulated. Will you be able to control your tongue and the taste buds?”

I promised him befittingly: “ Even a royal buffet in a king’s palace  will not be able to tempt me. Please go ahead”

“OK then, no food from this very moment. Only fruits and juices. No milk, curd or butter-milk. Do not even think of tea. Your meals will have two bananas and one apple, two times a day. Are you ready?” He asked. And I immediately agreed.

He then asked me to sleep on one side on his table. I was asked to remove all upper clothes. Castor oil massage was lightly applied on my waist and on the back. Steam fomentation was given. I hardly got any quick relief.

“Now turn and lie down  on your back. We will apply mud pack on the abdomen.” Mukesh bhai’s advice reminded me of Gandhiji, who  was a great admirer of this treatment. I hardly had any faith in this treatment but like a good patient, I cooperated fully. The cool black mud had a favourable effect on the fire burning in my stomach since past few days. I spent about two hours there on and took their leave.

I had to be there for a full course of seven days and this was very,  very inconvenient for me. But I was greedy and needy and had little choice. I was to soon  undertake two journeys in a single  week – of eight hundred kms each. For two days there was not much change in my condition, although the fire in the stomach was slowly cooling down. But sciatica was still giving me the shocks.

At last, for a moment, Mukesh bhai applied pressure at one specific point on my right leg. It was acupressure.. and the shocks and jerks were gone! It is eight months now and I am a jumping jack once again, without any problem!

And what about my acidity?

His advice for diet control was only for four or five days, but I did it for full twenty one days. I lived only on fruits.  I created  a best example of controlling my taste buds and temptations. I even attended a very delicious looking buffet dinner party , sitting all the while like a yogi.

Jay Vasavada was sitting on one side  & Kajal Vaidya was on the other.  Both these friends were making best efforts for tempting me and trying spicy varieties before my eyes. But I was sitting in the middle, like a silent witness. Because I wanted to be cured.

After this incident, I have come to realize the limitations of allopathic treatment. And what a wonderful healing power resides in the five elements of Mother Nature, namely: Fire, Earth, Water, Air and Space !!

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Thanks a lot, Thakar saheb. This self-example that you have placed before our society speaks a lot about your frank and straight-forward thoughts, which greatly reflect in you as a person also, as we know it and as is reflected in your narration published  above.

You have chosen to publish your intimate, personal  experience of miraculous  nature cure even though you practice modern medicine.

We have a request for our readers. Many of you might have taken out treatment and obtained best results.

By reading this article, if you also feel like sharing your personal success story  of nature cure for the benefit of the society, please write to us. If you so desire, we will be happy change your name and maintain confidentiality.

Nature cure is not a therapy but rather a life style.  Nature cure is not a therapy but rather a life style. If we keep observing and counting small miracles achieved with our disciplined habits, if we pause a little bit to wonder, the Nature is here & now, around us.

If one looks at 125 years’ history of nature cure treatment, one unbelievable fact will observed:  many physicians, MD etc have turned to nature cure practice after doing the modern-day allopathic practice!

With this dual experience, they have come to a conclusion that human body recovers by itself! It has great, miraculous power to return to good health after sickness and that is how the body can be maintained for long years.

If we observe fast and limit our food intake to fruit juices, water, butter milk, salads & milk, the body will have to spend less energy in digesting the food and it will be left with much more energy to quickly heal itself by throwing out the waste, toxins and other harmful substances.

Our body works day and night to look after itself, to protect and cleanse itself. And we also work round the clock to disturb our body by doing more and more wrong things.

It is a great pity that the so-called intelligent human being is the greatest enemy of the human body. He finds out so many new, artificial and unhealthy eatable items every day that his otherwise powerful digestive system also does not know how to handle such modern foods.

Body wants to live longer. If you can not help it, at least do not create hurdles for it. Have respect for its self-healing powers.  And if you wish to live a healthy, energetic and disease- free life, come to Mother Nature with full faith and devotion.

Fast regularly but do not starve yourself. Follow a scientific diet plan. Do light and harmless exercise and yoga. Take some food for the mind. Live in harmony with the nature, live lightly and take natural foods.– Mukesh Patel 

The Incurable skin disease fully cured – with goat‘s milk!

The Incurable skin disease fully cured – 
with goat‘s milk!

(A real-life case history of miraculous nature cure

about  a stubborn skin disease which had become

a challenge to modern medical science)

“There will forever be some illness unless and until there is discipline about the food that you take everyday” 

THE MOTHER

Piraji Sagara has been a well-known name as a painter and sculptor in Gujarat & elsewhere and has been awarded Lifetime Achievement award for 2007-08     (see one of his creations in colour in this article).  

His son Rajesh bhai is an equally gifted artist. He is presently active in CEPT University at Ahmedabad which is ranked very high in the country. Sharmila bahen is also a very talented artist. She and Rajesh bhai were studying together and their love resulted in a blissful marriage. She used to write in Times of India. This true success story relates to skin disease that harassed Sharmila bahen.

Sharmila bahen  hails from Maharashtra and is non vegetarian. Eating fish has been a routine since her childhood – as common as eating carrots and cucumber is for the vegetarians, - but one fish became the root cause for her skin trouble.

Sharmila bahen and Rajesh bhai  went to  USA in September 2006. They reached New York on 7th and after visiting other places, reached Los Angeles on 30th Sept. Non-veg food was almost a daily routine. One day in Hampton (NY), they took seafood: a lobster. Fish was also consumed 5-6 times during their travels. The long deep roots of her skin disease actually started growing silently from these meals. 

On 8th October they bought some fish from a good Japanese store and cooked the meals themselves. Obviously they both had different fish in their plates. When she opened her eyes next morning, Sharmila bahen was feeling very uneasy. She vomited as she came out of the bed and soon thereafter she felt very weak.

There was another problem that day. A meeting was fixed with the head of department in Uni. of California (LA) on the very same day. If they give consent, then Sharmila bahen can prepare for her PhD degree. She thought that her sickness may be due to her anxiety about this interview / meeting.
She skipped meals that day and remained on fruits and ice cream only. But a clear change was noticed from that day onwards. Her sleeping hours became shorter, incomplete and also irregular. Initially she thought this could be a jet lag from air travels. They continued travelling & immediately went to Germany. 

10th October, 2006. During her morning bath, she observed a small black spot near her left breast. Itching sensation was also there. They returned to India on 14th October. Their arrival was followed by hectic activity for Diwali festivals and she paid hardly any attention to her body.  After Diwali, they travelled to Alibaug in Maharashtra. Alibaug can be also called fish-eater’s heaven. Fish in morning, noon and evening- fish all the time as though there is nothing else to eat. 

They came back to Ahmedabad. The travels were over and so were the festivals. Her body said: listen to me now! Now there was a black spot on her thigh, along with itching sensation there.  Slowly the trouble spread to her knees. Small red coloured grains erupted on the skin around her belly. The treatment started now, for the first time. She met homeopath Dr. (Mrs)  Pandya.

Doctor diagnosed that this problem is caused by some food.   She was right. But there was no improvement after twenty days of treatment. Doctor changed the treatment, describing it as a different type of disease now. It could even be fungal infection. This treatment went on from November 22 to December 31, 2006.  Day by day, itching was increasing. The size of the pink coloured spots was growing larger & their colour was becoming darker. They were spreading towards all the joints, but were much more on the belly area. These medicines were stopped from 4th January 2007. Readers need not conclude that disease had increased due to homeopathy. In this treatment, lot of patience is required. In each type of therapy, the treating doctors always make their best efforts. 

On 11th January 2007, she took anti-allergic tablets under allopathic treatment. After taking these medicines, she remained mostly asleep at home. Next day on 12th January, 2007, Sharmila bahen came to see me at Nihar. I examined her condition and decided that she must immediately stop taking all food grains. She fasted for about four days with the support of soup and fruit juices. She started feeling better and some days passed like this.
There was family pressure to consult Dr Shah, a skin specialist. The doctor diagnosed the disease as ‘ lichen plenus’. It is a German name, meaning 'like a plateau, like a flat-top mountain'. Here pink coloured, flat-headed & raised spots appear on the affected skin. The treatment started with one steroid injection and some tablets.

After taking these medicines, she experienced breathing problems. There was difficulty in breathing. On one hand there was loneliness. Secondly, there was no mood to talk to any one. Three steroid injections were given in twenty-five days, in addition to other medicines. Sharmila bahen thought of stopping this treatment. The joints had become rigid and she experienced difficulty in even standing up. 

Meanwhile, one of her friends, Ms Bindu Sanghavi advised her to take cosmo-pathy treatment from Shri Kirtibhai Betai of Agra. Sharmila bahen sent an email and by the time the reply was received, it was already 28th February. Cosmo-pathy treatment, like Reiki, uses a pendulum plus  a prayer is sent with its help to the patient located at any far away place. The good feelings are communicated to the patient through mental powers. 

From 2nd March, cosmo-pathy treatment started. She was to take one spoonful of cumin seeds (jeeru) four times a day and also a spoonful of green grams (moong) at bed time. This treatment gave her good relief. One incident that happened in between needs to be mentioned here . Homeopathy treatment with some other lady doctor was also started from 12th February. She would go to consult her once a week. She was given medicines and was also advised to take fresh grapes every day. !

She was also told that 'without any harm, you may take about 500 gms of grapes daily'. It was a welcome permission. Every day eating more than 500 gms grapes became a routine. And the disease became from bad to worse. She started losing her skin. Pink coloured, grain-like eruptions on the skin were turning red now. When she visited the doctor third time after 21 days, doctor said: ‘please stop my medicine. I myself will phone & let you know after four days’… 

There was a dentist friend in Baroda who was insisting that she should visit Baroda and consult a renowned skin specialist there. On the other hand, Sharmila bahen had determined that she will not go for any modern medical treatment. Though she unwillingly went to Baroda,  she was all the while thinking about the side effects of the heavy dose of such medicines…

The doctor was a learned specialist. When Sharmila bahen met her, she was losing about two palm-fuls of her skin daily-(just like a snake routinely getting rid of its skin). In addition, there was strong itching sensation in the whole body. The body was suffering from skin inflammation and to cool it down; she would take some ice and rub it all over. Light pain in the stomach also continued almost non stop. 

The sickness had become quite severe. Skin was now falling off by hand-fuls. Some skin would cling on and not fall and it had yellow colour.  This case had come up before a learned doctor.  He saw the patient and quickly advised that biopsy test is required. Biopsy report was sent to Mumbai. After five days the diagnosis was received; the name of the disease was given as ‘erycthoderma’ – but not for sure.

A doubt was expressed that symptoms are advancing in the direction of this name. In simple English, the name ‘erycthoderma’ means skin failure. We know about heart failure. Sharmila bahen’s skin was failing as per her doctor. If this disease is there, the skin will lose its capacity to maintain body temperature level. After 1-1-2007, Sharmila bahen was experiencing severe cold and would sleep under a pile of four blankets. 

Sharmila bahen got frightened with this report. As soon as the report was received, she telephoned me. The doctor had briefed her about the future treatment plan. She explained the same to me also. In doctor’s opinion, the treatment for this serious disease will have to start with steroids and that too for a long period.

There will be side effects & there was a good possibility of developing blood pressure and rheumatism, etc. Kidney failure also can not be ruled out due to such heavy doses of medicines. It was also essential to consult the doctor once a week. Doctor also advised a second option, in case she was not in favour of taking steroids……

The second option was ‘cylosporain’, a medicine which is given to kidney transplant patients. These medicines suppress our body’s capacity to fight diseases, and therefore they are known as ‘immunosuppressant’. Her friends were pressing her – out of affection only - to take this type of allopathic drugs. 
In such a serious situation, Rajesh bhai’s sixth sense became active and alert. Overcoming great dilemma & confusion, he telephoned to ask me: ‘what should be the way out?’ It was 9th March, 2007. I also felt a strong desire to do something to take her out of this grave situation. At last, Deepika and I went to their home in the same evening. Sharmila bahen’s condition had really worsened. Their children appeared quite frightened. 

At first sight, one may fear that her disease might be highly infectious. Very next day, they had a consulting appointment with Dr Rekha bahen Sheth, a renowned  specialist in Mumbai . I suggested to Rajesh bhai that they should first go to Mumbai, and on return, they should come to Nihar straight from airport. Both of them left for Mumbai and met Dr Rekha bahen.

Doctor examined Sharmila bahen in her clinic on 10th March, 2007.  Dr Rekha bahen and her junior doctors present during the examination were somewhat surprised: if this disease was lichen plenus, it would not spread so fast! Dr Rekha bahen believed that it was something different, some thing not understandable that was causing her this entire problem.  Please read carefully: these were frank and candid words of a very renowned and reputed skin specialist of India.

Doctor also said that presently Sharmila bahen’s condition is fragile and delicate. The disease has advanced much. If detailed investigations are carried out at this stage, they might give misleading results!  "We will presently do only biopsy; and not  check about BP or diabetes. Even if they both are indicated in the report (due to infection) , we are presently neither focusing on them nor treating them".

Dr Rekha bahen had forwarded all the details about Sharmila bahen’s biopsy to one  senior   doctor in Delhi  &  advised that: ‘ Please do not take any medicines till we get biopsy report. The steroids medicine taken earlier can not be taken for such a long period in any case. Lot of skin is falling away and it means huge loss of protein from the body.  To compensate it, please take good quantity of milk. And also take fruits to prevent loss of salts and minerals in the body.’

Sharmila bahen felt greatly consoled by the frank and forthright diagnosis and plain advice. Next day morning,  she walked straight into Nihar; much relaxed and peaceful now. But I was having some anxiety in the heart of my heart: I had only seven days time in  my hands  to treat her through naturopathy and show some visible results. After seven days, she had again to visit Dr Rekha bahen Sheth at Mumbai. Further treatment was to be decided on receiving biopsy report from Delhi.

From 11th March, 2007, I started my treatment.  Each day,  three to four times,  she has to take one glass of goat’s milk with sugar. This comes to approx. one litre a day. Initially she did not like  sweet taste , so she avoided sugar. But when she started feeling weak and low in sugar, she started adding sugar. Sugar level had gone down with sugar-less milk in one week.

In addition, aloe vera was applied on whole body twice a day. Mud pack was put on abdomen area. She did apan vayu mudra  for about 45 minutes in a day. Water intake was restricted to bare minimum. Milk was her only food- every thing else a strict no-no. Natural coolness of aloe vera and deep breathing became her natural, unadulterated medicines . 

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Apan vayu mudra  is a finger combination. This combination of thumb and fingers of both the hands is to be done for about 45 minutes - as when you remember to do it - during the whole day, in individual slots of one to ten minutes. The first finger of each hand is to be bent so as to press on the root of the thumb. Thumb is to kept upright, its tip touching the tips of second and third fingers. Apan vayu, through this mudra enables proper removal of urine and excreta from the body.

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Soon, a miracle happened.  By seventh day, the skin stopped falling, the itching sensation was reduced and more important than all this, her confidence level shot up. On 10th March, Dr Rekha bahen had advised that when you come here next week, we will get all tests done in Mumbai only. On 19th evening, I asked Rajesh bhai : what do you  think about the progress so far? . He said that his heart and mind were now in peace and he was convinced that  she can get cured only with our naturopathy treatment, though slowly.

20th March, 2007. A red-letter day in the history of nature cure treatment. The entire medical team in Dr Rekha bahen’s clinic was amazed to see the improved condition of Sharmila bahen. No one could believe their eyes that she is the same patient whom they had met 8-10 days ago!  Dr Rekha bahen herself was happy to see her improved condition. Witnessing  such a speedy recovery, she said that presently there is no need for any more tests.

Biopsy report was received from Delhi and the findings pointed out to lichen plenus but on a very minor scale. Doctor gave her a copy of the report on a CD and advised not to travel to Mumbai any more and get the required tests at Ahmedabad only. She further advised her to continue the naturopathy treatment, which had given amazingly fast results. She prescribed some multi-vitamin tablets.

Sharmila bahen’s prescription for goat milk therapy remained unchanged.  Milk to be taken 3-4 times a day. Aloe Vera to be applied twice a day. After twenty days, mud pack -fortified with herbal medicines- was started for the body. After she started fasting with the sole support of goat milk, Sharmila bahen would ring up every fifth day to enquire if she can start eating some thing else also. With feminine compassion, Deepika once gave permission to eat apples.

I fought a little for withdrawing that permission and told Sharmila bahen that if you get any dietary concessions from Deepika, she will have also to observe fasts along with you. ..! After 22 days of fasting just with goat’s milk support, after a long wait, she got some concessions from me. She was allowed to take musk melon and also coconut water. Only these two fruits. Nothing more.  Goat milk therapy was done for full 42 days.

22nd April, 2007.. It was like an independence day for Sharmila bahen. She was to start taking roti in next few days. We all have got some attachment  with some foods and one example will prove my point. In 1997, one group of my patients was being taught physical exercise. I went downstairs only  for ten minutes. When I returned, two  newcomers – who had just begun their fasts two days ago – were engaged in a discussion: about the taste of a roti!

Today, even in 2012, Sharmila bahen has almost stopped all outside eatables. Home made food, cooked with little quantity of oil is her first preference. Her meals have hardly any extra sugar and jaggery (gud) has taken its place. Fish and non-vegetarian food have vanished from her menu altogether.

Every day, she devotes about 45 minutes for breathing exercise, light yogasana and other exercises. In monsoon, the exercises become irregular but otherwise it goes on for the rest of the year. People generally believe that naturopathy gives very slow results. Just think about this: in such a vast country like India, all the reputed doctors practising modern medicine were in dilemma about how to treat her, but nature cure – without medicines and without side effects - showed miraculous result in just seven days and proved its effectiveness. It gave 90% success at the end of 42 days and for the balance 10%, it took ten more months. 

You may find it difficult to digest the fact  that it took 10 more months for last 10% relief. This ten per cent   included  either some light coloured  marks on the skin  which has otherwise been cured or an itching sensation that kept coming up for five minutes  once in a while or  some such issues. The new skin looked  almost like one before. But if there was  a small trace of disease in a small spot somewhere  & it has to be cured from its deepest roots, so that there is never a recurrence. 

In countries like USA, about 80,000 people are hospitalised after eating fish this way and many of them meet their death. Creepers on which vegetables like bottle gourd ( dudhi) and cucumber grow  some time come in contact with stones and its fruits taste bitter. Such bitter fruits can even cause death.

Fish survive by eating other small fish & marine insects. Pollution caused by the ships and by other reasons contaminates sea water. Such substances then enter the bodies of fish and other creatures. In a layman’s language, as a bottle gourd can turn bitter, so can a fish also. 

Such a poisoned fish may not itself die due to such contamination but can become a reason for death of people who may consume it. 

Very few people proceed with courage and determination during the full course of the nature cure  treatment. Without faith, one can not climb even few steps. Here, a full Mt. Everest was to be climbed. Patience, Faith, Self-confidence and Continuous efforts, combined with whole hearted support of Rajeshbhai became the formula for glittering success. We have not by-passed modern science. We had well integrated vitamins in her daily routine. 

When  modern medical science failed , we replaced the high powered medicines  - a slow poison itself – with innocent , elixir-like natural products such as  goat’s milk, fruits, treatment with medicinal plants and other nature cure procedures. Sharmila bahen was cured with the help five main natural elements and Mother Nature made us a tool in her hands  for  this treatment.

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Sharmila bahen Sagara

B-1, Achal Apartment

Opp Nehru Foundation

Bodakdev, Ahmedabad-380054

Phone: 98795 61877