Other States - Orissa   

Living out a message of victory over a ‘contagious’ disease

CUTTACK: Braving the stigma attached to leprosy and fighting the disease for over 50 years, Brundaban Das is now a successful family man leading a respectable life. Afflicted with the disease at the age of 16, Brundaban moved to the leprosy settlement centre here at Nuabazar in 1955 and since then the Nehru Pally here is his second home.

“I have never gone to my native place at Niali Madhav ever since I was allotted a piece of land in the Pally in 1960. I got married here, became a proud father of three children and now having constructed a house, I have purchased another piece of land for my children in the neighbourhood. And now I have some savings, which are enough to take care of my old age,” Brundaban says satisfactorily.

But how did manage to achieve all this despite suffering from a ‘contagious’ disease at a prime age which carries with it a lot of unfounded and unsolicited taboos. “No, I never took up begging nor did I have engaged myself in dealing with illegal trade in liquor or excise substances like bhang or opium,” he claims.

“ Instead, I took up dairy as my vocation and now whatever I am or whatever I have are due to the farm I have set up having about a dozen milking cows,” he says, adding that the earnings from the farm are enough to take care of his family besides helping him to save around Rs 5,000 per month.

He had physical deformities in his legs and left hand, but now is completely cured of the disease, thanks to the magic drug therapy (MDT). He could have gone back to his native village after successfully battling the disease. But he preferred to stay back at the settlement colony because he did not want to be a burden on his family.

“My elder brother donated a cow to me initially for he wanted that I should take milk regularly. It all began since then. Soon the inmates of my cowshed increased and took the shape of a farm when I purchased five hybrid cows,” he says.

Brundaban last year got his only daughter married to an autorickshaw driver after spending more than Rs 2 lakhs. Both his sons, who are matriculates and have undergone vocational training are now engaged in private companies in the city.

Brundaban feels the stigma and taboos attached to the disease should be removed from the minds of people. “Like any other disease, there is cure for this disease and one should fight back to lead a respectable life after treatment,” Brundaban suggests.

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