The 'one rupee doctor' Personality of the week
DEDICATED: R. Rajagopal, Medical co-ordinator, Udavum Karangal, in Coimbatore.
COIMBATORE: A growing city with a lot of wealth, but not enough time to care for its destitute will not go a long way. It's not a good sign, says R. Rajagopal, Governing Body Member of one of Coimbatore's most revered organisations, Udavum Karangal.
Eleven years since its entry into the city, the organisation has had an unflinching supporter in Dr. Rajagopal. He has been part of each stage of the organisation's growth, taking pains to do whatever he could to contribute to its development.
He explains about his association with the organisation toAnasuya Menon during a brief interview. It began when he happened to visit Sontham, Udavum Karangal's home for abandoned children at Vadavalli way back in 1998. "It was a small rented house and it was looking after 10 babies. After my first visit, I felt like visiting the children often," he says. A few more visits since he decided to dedicate the rest of his life for the children. He treated them, played with them and there blossomed a relationship with the children, which he treasures to this day.
"After the meeting with Mr. Vidyaakar, the founder of Udavum Karangal, there was no looking back. I was inspired by his selfless, dedicated service and I wanted to work for all those people who had no one to care for."
Having completed MBBS at the Madras Medical College in 1962, Dr. Rajagopal came back to his hometown and started private practice at Peelamedu. At that time, there was no doctor in the area and the villagers had to travel up to the Government Hospital for medical aid. The facilities for transportation and communication too were nil, he recalled.
Dr. Rajagopal took it upon himself to provide medical aid to hundreds of villagers in Eastern Coimbatore. He travelled to more than 30 villages in Coimbatore up to Avinashi Road. "I have never demanded fees from them. Whatever they offered, I accepted. Even if it was a one rupee coin," he said. "That earned me the title, 'One Rupee Doctor'," he says with a smile.
In all these years with Udavum Karangal, he has witnessed some of the worst instances of treachery, insensitivity and misery. "At first it was hard to come to terms with the fact that there could be so much suffering and misery around. But, then you develop a sort of an inner strength to face it and help to alleviate their suffering," he adds.
Once on his visit to Sontham in 1999, he was surprised to see a small bundle of clothes outside the centre and a small group of people gathered around it. He was appalled to see a new born baby boy covered in blood. Ants were crawling all over its body. "Its little body was swollen and its face had been severely bruised," he says. "I never thought the boy would survive. But, with timely care and treatment, we could save him. He is now doing well and going to school," he adds.
Now, Udavum Karangal's Sontham, which has more than 60 children, near Bharathiar University, is a well-maintained building with a garden and playground for the children. It also has homes for mentally-ill destitute men and women, Sakthivanam and Thanjam, at Myleripalayam. The home has about 250 inmates.
"We are able to meet the expenses only with the help of donations from the public. Funds do keep coming in. But the needs are also going up," he says. The home spends Rs.2,500 on an adult a month and Rs.5,000 on a child year. "We need constant support from the public."
The centre for mentally-ill destitute has only 10 volunteers, some of whom have been brought up by Udavum Karangal or those who have been abandoned by their families. Taking care of such people is a 24-hour job. Most of the patients are violent, have very poor hygiene and are unmanageable when they are picked up from the streets. Even at the home, they need constant supervision as some of them are even suicidal, he says. "In a nutshell, the home needs donations and more volunteers. But, funds alone are not enough. People should visit the home and spend time with the inmates and the children. Share their compassion and time with them."
For the 69-year-old doctor, nothing compares with the satisfaction of helping a person in need. "Retirement? The thought has not even crossed my mind once.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/28/stories/2008042851390500.htm
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