Reinstating Livelihood
Ghanashyam Rout an old man of 70s
is a landless inhabitant of Santhasara
village of Gondia Block, Dhenkanal
district. He heads a family of six-
enlisted under the Below the Poverty
Line (BPL) list. His only son is an
unemployed youth. So Ghanashyam is
the sole breadwinner in the family.
He has opened a petty shop, adjacent
to his house. With a pitiable income
from the shop the family managed to
feed itself, informed Ghanashyam.However,
Ghanashyam had a happy life earlier.
He was one of the rich persons in
the Santhasara village, reminisces
his wife.
During 1960s, he was a petty contractor
under the Department of Forest, Government
of Orissa. Through the contract activities
he was earning handsomely and was
leading a pleasurable and prosperous
life.
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Unfortunately, his happiness lasted for very short span. Gradually, he lost a huge amount in the contract business- due to his negligence, according to him. His financial crisis compelled her to sell his own land of 7 acres and compensate the amount in the business. “I lost everything, even the 7 acres of parental land,” said Ghanashyam with frustration. |
Then maintaining livelihood was a big question of the family. ‘They had lost everything’. Ghanashyam started a petty shop in the village. Successfully, the shop became the source of income of the family for a good number of years. But, they were uninformed about the fact that their happiness was temporary. It expired as soon as Ghanashyam lost his vision due to cataract problem. It was a huge loss for the family. Though the problem was curable, the family, with a paltry income was not capable enough to afford the cost of surgery.
Life became harsh for the entire family and especially for Ghanashyam. He was not able to engage himself in the petty business. His son was small enough to manage it. As a landless they have to go on an empty stomach for several days. At this juncture, Ghanashyam heard about the comprehensive eyecare service provided by NYSASDRI. It was great news for him.
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In March 2003, after primary check up, he underwent cataract surgery in his right eye at the Kalinga Eye Hospital and Research Centre- an independent unit promoted by the organisation. Entire cost of operation was borne by the organisation. “Instead, they provided me food and medicine free of cost,” he said. |
After the surgery, Ghanashyam is now running the business quite comfortably. It would be worthy to note that his shop is the oldest existing shop in Santhasara. “The operation re-established life in the family.” Unlike before, he now manages his shop- that gives him not less than Rs 30.00 a day. He is very encouraged by the service and the organisation is also planning to support cataract surgery in his left eye. So that he will regain complete visual capability. |
Ghanashyam is one of the cataract-affected patients who availed the services by NYSASDRI. But the organisation since its inception has restored vision in thousand of eyes. The Kalinga Eye Hospital and Research Centre- a modern state of art hospital offering contemporary comprehensive eyecare service is a milestone of its success. |
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