Malini Nadkarni,  Department of Radiology

“Priya is in Banglore for some family function as her father completes 60yrs.These people have so many rituals” said my daughter.

        “Sixty is a mile-stone in life, and to recognize a person for fulfillment of his/her work is a part of our culture.” A mother’s explanation.

        “But I have not seen this being done for any of our relations or friends”.

        “Rituals are done by individuals depending on their liking and circumstances.” I tried to summarize. 

         Her next question was “What is fulfillment?” The question kept on haunting me. Getting a degree, money, material benefits, comforts …… what is fulfillment? And what happens at the age 60? Is it all over? Should one accept “Vanaprasthashram?” 

         With this haunting question in my mind, I landed at ‘Anandwan’. ‘Anandwan’ is a place worth experiencing! It is a dream come true of noted social worker Bharat Ratna Baba Amte. On the day I was there, preparations were on for an “eye camp” to be held there. The operation theater was being fumigated and sealed and meticulous ground work was being done with the active participation of leprosy patients who have been disease-free and rehabilitated. It was a sight to be seen to believe that people with no terminal tufts of fingers opening the protective cover of a big pedestal fan, cleaning all the blades and every nut and bolt and assembling it back with their own hands ………hands - which remind everybody of the dreaded disease they have faced. These hands make bricks, build houses, grow many vegetables and grain and also sell them! These hands make leather goods, cloth, stitch various items, work in work-shops, do art work….the list is endless.  Every body has work to do and everybody gets three meals.

Since Baba and his wife Sadhanatai were with their younger son, Dr. Prakash at Hemalkasa which is situated in the deep woods of Gadchiroli district about 200 kms away from Anandwan, we decided to visit there too.       

          I can never forget the first sight of Dr. Prakash and his wife Dr.Manda. He was repairing a suction machine - sitting on the floor of the verandah of their house. (I remembered the fuss we make when any of our equipment doesn’t function.). Dr. Prakash is working among the tribal people since 1973. He is a graduate from Nagpur Medical College and has experience of surgical residency and Dr.Manda is an anesthesiologist. Now his doctor son, doctor daughter-in-law and another young doctor Pandurang who is from these tribal people and educated at L.T.M.General hospital are the next generation of workers with him. The hospital is equipped with a small x-ray unit, fairly good quality ultrasonography machine and auto analyzer for routine blood investigations. 

          At night, I was called to see a patient with inguino-scrotal swelling, who was known to have undescended testis on one side. But the swelling was an inguinal hernia with signs of obstruction. The nearest big hospital is 200kms away at Chandrapur and there is no other transport save the  State transport bus scheduled at 6.00a.m.the next morning. I kept guessing what to do. Tp my surprise, the nextt morning the same patient came with big smile and folded hands…he had been conservatively treated and the hernia reduced.

Dr.Prakash and Manda have been internationally recognized for their work for young ones of animals either injured or orphaned and he takes pride in showing the visitors his wealth of animals and you certainly feel the warmth of their characters.

Another patient I saw there was a 15 yr old boy who had lost weight and had become a problem to diagnose as he had no other symptom other than weakness. He was skin and bone. Plain x-ray abdomen showed a large bladder calculus and left sided bulging psoas shadow. While doing radiography for lumbar spine, I noticed he had fixed flexion deformity and he had pain if I tried to make the leg straight. Luckily the spine was normal. Ultrasonography showed that there was a left sided psoas abscess. Dr.Pandurang aspirated half kidney tray full of foul smelling pus, under USG guidance.

The tears in the eyes of patient’s father told me many things. 

And for once I felt being recognized at the age of 60!

October 2004