A story appearing in the inside pages of a paper can hardly be expected to offer a content that will attract the attention of many people. But by chance, I came across such a story in the city edition of Mumbai Mirror of 22 March, 2006 which though published on page 6, deserved a better treatment at the hands of the editorial team in the matter of placement in the pages. For it certainly has the merit of becoming an inspiration to many a youngsters even today given the right setting.

I feel that its relevance and import for the community has not diminished with the passage of time; it is likely to remain fresh for ever. Please therefore bear with me as I am finding myself unable to resist the desire to share this heart warming story with you, originally contributed to the Mirror by Ruhi Khan. Here it goes.

 

This story relates to an event occurred four years ago in Mumbai. A small time businessman of 37 years, Zakir Hussain, came to Mumbai to get an operation done for a heart condition from which he was suffering for some time. He had been saving up for several years for this operation out of his meagre earning of Rs.5000 per month to collect a big sum of Rs.1,10,000, the expected cost of such an operation at that time. As the story goes, he consulted the Doctors at Balaji Hospital in Worli. They told him that he needed a heart operation urgently but were reluctant to admit him unless he brought the money.

 

He went to the Punjab National Bank in Worli to withdraw the money. There three men posing as fellow bank customers robbed him of Rs 33,000 outside the Bank. Left with just Rs.50,000 out of a total of Rs.83,000 withdrawn, he was staring at a big gap of money to be filled. The operation no longer appeared even a remote possibility.

 

The robbery was reported in the Mumbai Mirror. The story of a poor man getting robbed of his savings for a crucial heart operation was read widely and evoked public sympathy. Then a Mirror reader, a cardiologist by profession, Dr.Ravindra Bhatnagar, associated with various hospitals in Mumbai, traced and contacted Hussain to help him finance his heart operation.

 

He offered to assist him secure financial aid and medical assistance at a private hospital with which he was associated. He asked Hussain to bring his reports to analyse and write him a medical certificate that he could use to secure financial aid. He referred him to a social worker at Holy Family Hospital in Bandra to forward his case to various charitable institutions to pay part of his bills directly to hospital.
Dr Bhatnagar also helped Hussain to get medicines from some pharmaceutical companies on complimentary basis, thus saving another Rs.10,000 to Rs.15,000.

 

The news report further says that Dr Ravindra Bhatnagar practises in various hospitals in the city, including Holy Family (Bandra), Nanavati (Vile Parle), Kambala (Kemps Corner), Karuna (Borivali), Metropolitan Heart Hospital (Ghatkopar) and Breach Candy Hospital. He had assisted Dr N Manke operate on Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and senior Sena leader Manohar Joshi’s wife. As if to compliment him for his philanthropic contributions his colleagues refer to him as a ‘poor man’s surgeon’.

 

Ironically I have no further information of Dr Bhatnagar's philanthropic pursuits. But my heart says that the one I came to know of through the story published in Mumbai Mirror cannot be the only one. Those who live for others don’t stop after one good deed. I would therefore like to extend my request to all those members of the community who know him personally to please add by way of  comments information  about his inspiring work and contribution to the well being of the society for wider appreciation by the members of community. Thanks.
 
D.N.Bhatnagar
09.05.2010

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