Last Tuesday, on my way home from office, I received a call from one of my friends asking me if I were free the next day. It being Gandhi Jayanthi, a public holiday, I had no specific plans, so I said 'yes'.
She was extremely delighted as it looked like that was something she was hoping for. She had an offer for me, an offer I could not refuse.
Two social service organizations - 'Samaja Sevakara Samithi' and 'Margadarshi Samithi' had collaborated and arranged for a felicitation program to honor an author, Dr. B R Prasad. They wanted someone to host the event as their MC was not available for the day. There was a brain storming discussion to zero-in on the MC for the event and my name was recommended by a colleague from my ex-company.I was elated. It was a good opportunity for me and I readily agreed.
I was present sharp at 10 in the morning as I wanted to get acquainted with the people about whom I would speak. Honestly, I was under-prepared due to the short notice, so I decided to go through the book of Dr.B R Prasad for which he was being felicitated that day. The book is named -'Manasiddavaru', which means 'people with hearts' in Kannada.
The book is one of its kind, a rare contribution made to the field of Kannada Literature. It is not a collection of poems, plays or stories, neither is it a biography of a great personality. This book is a collection of details about people with hearts, their inspirations, its about people who cared for the society and looked forward to do something for people beyond their kith and kin.
Dr. B R Prasad took up this project last Ugadi and decided to complete it in one year. His dedication and faith helped him reach his target in spite of his hospitalization due to an accident. He has traveled across the city of Bengaluru to collect information about NGOs who work selflessly for the betterment of the society.
His book features 83 such organisations, their contributions towards the society, their livelihood, their aims and objectives and contact details for those who would want to extend a helping hand.
The most voluminous data of the 83 NGOs is that of Smt. Susheelamma, the Chief Guest of the day who runs 'Sumangali Sevashrama'. Unlike other ashramas, where the person in-charge is addressed as a guru or Swamiji, Susheelamma here is addressed as 'amma' for the motherly love that she showers upon the desolated women and children who stay here.
The guest of honor for the event, Dr. Narayana Sawanth runs a trust called Hari Om trust. He is a homeopathic medicine practitioner. He gives free medicines to all who visit his ashram-'Tapovana'. Located near Tumkur, the count of the daily visitors to his ashram ranges from 800-1000. A religious person by nature, Dr. Sawanth beleives that what he receives from God, he gives to people. He believes that God gives him only how much he needs to help his patients. The best part of 'Tapovana' is that there are no paid servants in this ashram. Everyone of them is a volunteer, a true display of selflessness!
There are many such mentions in this book which accounts for the valuable contributions made by so many not-so-famous people. They did not give the details to Dr. Prasad to gain an entry into his book. In fact, many of them were not even aware that Dr. Prasad was planning to write one.
I was especially moved to read about a lady who had no kids of her own. She decided to start an orphanage. Soon she was blessed with children of her own and her joy knew no bounds. Her husband, now a father of two, wanted her to close the orphanage as she now has her own responsibilities to address at home. She denied and was forced to choose between the orphanage and her husband. The brave lady chose the former and runs the orphanage till date.
Such brave stories are an inspiration for people who want to do something but don't know where to start. Dr. Prasad says he has not done anything great by writing this book. He says that the characters were already there and enacting their roles. He played the role of a playwright and wrote the script, connecting all the characters and giving life to their roles and bringing to light their low profiles lives.
But in my opinion, to play the playwright and write the script, it requires a person with a heart. A heart to contribute, a heart that goes out for the betterment of the society and not just within the thresholds of their houses.
Dr. Prasad's felicitation ceremony was a grand success and I came out that day as a changed person. I must have been destined to host the event that day. My 'Gandhi Jayanthi' celebration just could not have been better.
This blog post is a tribute to all those manasiddavaru, the people with hearts....
Book is available for online booking at www.sapnaonline.com
Book id -KAN0027939
