Two decades of work in rehabilitating Leprosy Afflicted Persons (LAPs): Shiva

Shiva works for the government health department attending to the issues related to leprosy. He has been working with this department for over two decades.

With the fall in new leprosy cases, this department became a easy posting for quite a few people and many ventured to do other business in the side.

Shiva realized some of the issues that could not be addressed within the then government schemes, particularly with respect to rehabilitating LAPs with severe physical damages. Being a staunch Hindu, he approached a major Hindu organization to work in this area, only to find them not willing to work in this area. When he spoke of the need to work on this area to the then President of the Chennai Ramakrishna Math, he readily agreed but cautioned that there may not be too many volunteers and the onus will rest with Shiva to ensure that any such work is continued. The Swami gave a small sum from his personal kitty to start off Shiva's work.

That was 20 years back.

Today thanks to his persistence and the silent support by this institution, over 170 LAPs with severe physical problems have been saved from going into the streets as beggers. All but three of these have been reunited with their own families after treatment. Many more have been given simple implements with which they could easily do their daily chores themselves without depending on someone else to help them. Many of these have been provided with livelihood opportunities both as skill development and independent business that they can manage themselves.

Leprosy is today more of a social taboo. It is no longer the highly infectious and incurable disease that it was considered in the 1970s or before. (Though our law has still not been updated on this, recently the Supreme Court upheld the disqualification of a Panchayat leader because he was a leprosy affected patients, we have a law that if you are affected by leprosy you can hold a public office! and leprosy affection is enough reason for divorce in Hindu, Muslim and Christian divorce laws; most states have laws banning leprosy affected, regardless of their level of cure from being employed).  Early detection makes the job of curing easier and there are not many who reach the stage of disfigurement and disability that one many sometimes encounter in the streets.

Shiva feels that if only more concrete efforts were made to ensure that those that are already affected are given a good medical care and occupation help, it would help those who have lost their limbs to this disease, live the remaining part of their lives with dignity and honour.His own effort is unique, whereby he combines his official duty with the flexibility offered through voluntary efforts with the support of the Math to bring about changes in the life of such disabled people. 'There should hopefully be no separate leprosy homes 20 years from now and all patients should be treated from home', he envisions.

Shiva has organized a series of programmes on Dec 3rd, 8th and 9th at the Vivekananda Auditorium of the Ramakrishna Math to showcase the achievements of the patients rehabilitated by him (a couple Mary and John both rehabilitated by Shiva had been recognized by the state government and given a special award for their enterprise in 2005).

Pic: Shiva in the centre with a rehabilitated women who is self-employed, being presented to government officials