The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : A ward that resonates with warm notes

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Wednesday, Apr 15, 2009
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A ward that resonates with warm notes

Staff Reporter

Mahesh Memorial Paediatric Ward inaugurated at Adyar Cancer Institute

— Photo: R. SHIVAJI RAO.

NOBLE GESTURE: Manoj inaugurates the Mahesh Memorial Paediatric Ward at Adyar Cancer Institute on Tuesday. Prabha Sridevan, judge, Madras High Court, A. R. Rahman, music composer, N. Srinivasan, managing director, India Cements, Chitra Mahesh, managing trustee, Mahesh Memorial Trust, V. Shanta, chairperson, Adyar Cancer Institute, and P. Jayendra, trustee, Mahesh Memorial Trust are in the picture.

CHENNAI: “I would like my friends to come together and help The Cancer Institute, Adyar, in its fight against cancer,” – music director Mahesh wrote in his will, before his passing away in October, 2002.

Nearly seven years later, his notes have strung themselves together into a beautiful song in the form of the Mahesh Memorial Paediatric Ward inaugurated at the Cancer Institute, Adyar, (WIA), which was inaugurated on Tuesday.

Speaking at the inauguration, chairperson of the Adyar Cancer Institute V.Shanta said that it would be appropriate to name the facility the ‘Mahesh Memorial Paediatric Oncology Centre’, as it was much more than a ward.

Elaborating on the incidence of cancer, she said that every year, about 8,000 children were diagnosed with it in Tamil Nadu.

More to be done

Emphasising that a lot more was to be done in the area, she said the newly-inaugurated centre was a wonderful beginning. Dr. Shanta said the “comprehensive, beautiful, facility” would help reduce the rate of infection among children taking treatment. “Chemotherapy reduces children’s immunity and a centre like this with all the necessary facilities will make a big difference.”

Sujatha Shankar, trustee, Mahesh Memorial Trust, which executed the over Rs.3-crore initiative, said that art had been integrated into the spaces, as it was for children. Apart from a colourful ceramic mural by art director Thotta Tharani, the centre has paintings made by children themselves. Wards have also been given names such as “tortoise ward” and “duck ward”, said Ms. Shankar, the architect who executed the construction of the facility.

Prabha Sridevan, judge, Madras High Court, and a friend of the Maheshs said that if the Taj Mahal was the symbol of love, the Mahesh Memorial Paediatric Oncology Centre was a symbol of Mahesh’s laughter, friendship and music.

She said judges often had the opportunity of meeting people from underprivileged sections.

“Judges have to take care of those people who are on the dark side of the moon as well,” she added.

Mission of love

N. Srinivasan, managing director, India Cements, said that the building of the centre was a celebration of the mission of love. He commended the team behind the initiative and announced a donation of Rs.50 lakh towards the maintenance corpus of the facility.

“It is very moving to see what friends and family can do to a last wish…May God bless this initiative,” said music composer A.R.Rahman. Mani Rathnam, trustee, read out the citation ahead of the formal handing over of the facility. Chitra Mahesh, Managing trustee, Mahesh Memorial Trust, earlier welcomed the gathering. For the several hundreds of friends and family members who gathered at the venue, the event marked a meaningful beginning to what their dear Mahesh had dreamt of.

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