It’s two years since I saw the charpoy – Kasinathan, a person who spent the first 15 years after his spinal cord injury at age 14 on a charpoy inside and occasionally outside a small hut in a village near Tindivanam in Tamil Nadu. He fondly held the charpoy, the only stage prop, and also indicated that ever since he sat on a wheelchair in 2017, he has been on a roll.
Professor G. Raghuram, Director, IIM Bangalore, lights the lamp and is watched by Dr. Suranjan Bhattacharji, former Director, Christian Medical College, Vellore.
This moment enthralled the 200-plus who joined the 10-year celebration of The Ganga Foundation on September 28, 2019 in Chennai. Enhancing the quality of lives of persons with spinal cord injury is the vision of The Ganga Foundation.
Dr. Suranjan Bhattacharji, former Director, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Prof. G. Raghuram, Director, IIM Bangalore, Dr. Sara Bhattacharji, Community Rehabilitation Specialist, and Prof. Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Former Director, IIM Indore, and senior faculty at IIM Bangalore, in animated conversation.
A spinal cord injury imposes multiple disabilities at one stroke. There is no cure anywhere in the word. Quality Rehabilitation – the process of relearning to live as independently as possible – is the only way forward. Yet, less than 1,000 of the 15,000 who, on a conservative basis, sustain a spinal cord injury in India every year get access to timely, quality rehabilitation. Kasinathan was the face of the faceless 3,00,000-plus that live with this devastating disability in India.
Welcome on Wheelchairs – Display of astounding skills to the accompaniment of Kurai Ondrum Illai by the legendary M.S. Subbulakshmi
The Ganga Foundation has its roots in Indian Institute of Management IIM Bangalore, as its Co-Founder, S. Vaidyanathan (Vaidy), sustained a spinal cord injury on campus in 1990. It was fitting that almost 30 years on, Professor G. Raghuram, Director, IIM Bangalore graced the occasion, along with Dr Suranjan Bhattacharji, former Director, Christian Medical College, Vellore.
Anuradha Narasimhan, Class of 1992, IIM Bangalore, in conversation with S. Vaidyanathan, Co-Founder, The Ganga Foundation and Distinguished Alumnus, IIM Bangalore.
The latter was singularly responsible for changing the mindset at IIM Bangalore in 1990 when the institution refused to readmit Vaidy after his injury. Dr Suranjan’s persistence prevailed and Vaidy graduated from IIM Bangalore in 1992. The Ganga Foundation is the vision of Dr Suranjan Bhattacharji.
IIM Bangalore today is the exemplar of inclusive education in India with its world-class facilities for students with disability. “After the insights from today’s celebration, I will now take forward the suggestions from our Human Resources team to bring persons with disability on board Team IIM Bangalore,” said Prof. Raghuram immediately after the event.
Elango Thambiah, Co-Founder of The Ganga Foundation, sensitising the audience on the importance of quality rehabilitation based on his experiences over 30 years.
“I am not disabled, but I have lived with disability for almost 30 years via Vaidy and my son, Vidyuth,” said Elango Thambiah, Co-Founder and Class of 1991, IIM Bangalore, outlining the need to make available the essentials – quality rehabilitation, family support, friends, resources – that helped Vidyuth and Vaidy live to their fullest potential to every person with spinal cord injury.
100 WHEELS, a book featuring 100 persons who have lived well with spinal word injury, published by The Ganga Foundation, being launched during the celebrations.
Elango laid out the massive challenges ahead and the need for collaboration, as the 6,000-plus persons touched by The Ganga Foundation since 2009 encompassed just about 4% of the persons who sustained a spinal cord injury over the past 10 years.
By S. Vaidyanathan, Distinguished Alumnus of IIM Bangalore and Co-Founder of The Ganga Foundation