Instead of just sitting at home getting killed by my own boredom, I decided to go out with a medical group popularly known as “Sevankur” to the tip of India, to lend a helping hand as a doctor or I might add as a future doctor since I am no different from any normal my age medical student my only incentive was to explore the beauty of south and enjoy my vacations.But let me tell you something this article is not a travel monologue about the places I visited in south but it’s about the people I met, the things we did for them and most importantly how did they manage to bring changes in everyone of us ……..
So journey begins..I request you all to kindly fasten your seat belts just in case…
Group of 300 students along with 18 consultant along with the founding members of sevankur we divided in groups of 15 students each. Students from all streams of medicine, all kinds of college were mixed together giving us equal opportunity to bond with each other. Along with that we were provided with various task to help us keep our heads in the game, one among them was to carry out general survey about cultural as well as medical knowledge of people travelling with us. This task really brought us together. We worked as a team to collect as much information as we could .Soon the differences, the complexes were lost. Everyone was looking out for each other, sticking on to each other in completely new environment. Language ,attitude, superiority was never a barrier here. I always had issues meeting with people with Marathi language but they never made me feel left out. That’s a speciality of Sevankur. There are no differences of any kind on any basis.
We reached land of seven hills as one single unit. Every single one of us was welcomed, honored. We all were surprised to see the zest and enthusiasm of these people. Soon we left for Kanyakumari. I would say there was not a single day when they failed to surprise us. There kindness, warmth, towards us knew no boundaries. They all were extremely punctual, well organised full of energy. It would be wrong to not acknowledge the organising team of Sevankur. After all they made all this possible. We were even taught tamil language for upcoming medical camps that we were supposed to conduct in respective villages. Soon the day arrived. Every single one of us was excited to aboard bus. Ready to make a difference. Little did we know soon our world was about to turn upside down………
From the moment we set our feet in that village we were treated like gods literally like gods. I still remember they were showering rose petals at our feet as a sign of respect. Poojas were conducted. Communication was a bit difficult but that didn’t stop us from expressing our feelings. We actually used actions, signs to communicate our thoughts and the most astonishing thing was that they got it. They were understanding what we were trying to say, that was the first time ever in my life I experienced,”Language is not the soul of communication, if we open our hearts and widen our thinking process just by looking at someone understanding there emotions we can establish successful two way communication!! “The day of medical camp arrived. I was stationed at vital’s centre. I still remember there was a mid age lady I checked her blood pressure and after confirming I let her know that everything was normal. She was completely healthy. She got so overwhelmed with emotions, she practically hugged me. It was like me giving her a life sentence she was utterly, completely rejoicing that.
All this experiences change my Outlook towards life. “It’s not our money or accomplishment that matters, it’s about the magnanimity, tenderness, generosity towards your fellow being is all that counts.” This realisation was made possible because of Sevankur. It was one week for nation but I think for me it was one week towards discovering myself. For once in my life I knew my path. It was bright and clear in front of me. I was no more blinded by any fancy, embellished things of life. I am in total debt of Sevankur for giving this opportunity, providing me with this platform to help me make a better version of myself. I will always be grateful for that. Lastly I would just like to make an appeal to you all ,to join me to help people in need as a future doctor!!!!!!
Author – Manali Suryawanshi
