The eighth version of Mirakkel, a funny reality show on Zee Bangla, went on air on August 04 last. On its second day, the show produced a man aged 69 in typical Bangalee Babu attire. The jokes he cracked as a participant on stage were good enough but the flashback on his social work was really something extraordinary. A man full of humour, he revealed another side of his character. Through the flashback, his association with an organisation, a clinic treating terminal child patients of cancer, has been highlighted. Not only does the man visit the place regularly, he tries to make it sure that the little time they have left for their lives can be made a little enjoyable, courtesy of him.
In fact, he is neither a therapist nor a physician but he feels so deeply for the dying young ones that he has made it a mission of his life to visit them and do whatever is possible in his capacity to be of any help to bring smiles on their lips. His armoury is his witticism and jokes with which he tries to lift their spirit. The doctors, nurses and others who have taken upon themselves the task of fulfilling the last wishes of the terminal child patients have recognised the value of this man. He brings in fresh air with him and the children for a while tend to forget that their days are numbered.
It is not easy to be a part of such a venture where everyone knows that the child is dying and still s/he must be comforted. For at least a day, his or her wishes are fulfilled before death. For example, if a child had a dream to be a pilot, a doctor or any other iconic personality, the little one is donned in the uniform for the purpose and if possible taken to the place where the young aspirant for the moment is able to go through a feel-good experience. The passion and emotion involved in the entire process are something what count most. The purpose is to 'share the power of a wish'.
Named after Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, the cancer research institute deals with the disease which often proves incurable. Another venture of this kind, Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre and Research Institute, is at Thakurpukur near Kalyani, Nadia. The doctor who founded it has passed it over to his son who has been in charge since the baton was passed. The devotion of both father and son is exemplary. To make the patients of cancer - particularly of the bone-marrow type and diagnosed late - happy, the man in charge even has developed a most cordial relationship with the young patients. He takes up his guitar to sing to them and entertain.
Men and women like them make it their life's mission to stand by the ailing humanity. At home, Valerie Taylor, a British-born physiotherapist, has founded the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) at Savar. Once she even had to face quite a stiff opposition from some powerful quarters but now thousands are benefiting from her specialised facility.
These are special people committed to a special cause. It is because of this a Devi Prasad Shetty is like a God to many Indians. He treats children with heart complications free of cost. In this country too there are doctors who hold regular free eye camps in villages and are averse to any publicity. Although physicians in general here have earned enough notoriety for understandable reasons, there are a few rare exceptions who prefer neither to get stinking rich nor to draw the limelight on them.
And lo, how different people can be - a Thai surrogate mother accepts a baby with Down Syndrome left by its biological parents, an Aussie couple who however take away the baby's healthy twin sister. What a slap on the face of the parents who abandoned the baby! Humanity stands out anywhere in the world.
Sure enough, in Bangladesh the nobility of heart is rarely on display but at times the lowly placed amaze the world by its ample demonstration. When the Rana Plaza came crumbling, the world saw how much people were ready to make selfless sacrifice for the victims in extreme pains. One simply gave away his dear life for the cause. Disability and autism and similar other diseases have never received the kind of attention they deserved. Valerie has done exponential works in this regard. Following in her footsteps, Saima Wazed Putul, daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has come forward to draw the nation's attention to autism. Her effort, hopefully, will bring about an attitudinal change in people's mind and help treat the special children with compassion and care.
In this connection, the introduction of tele-therapy service for the patients suffering from autism and disability by the Jatiyo Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation (JPUF), the first of its kind, last Tuesday, merits appreciation. It has opened the facility modestly but aims to bring under the programme all 73 Protibondhi Seba O Sahajjo Kendro of the country. Let the neglected receive a new lease of life through this digital system of medical service. a
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
