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Hand of hope
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Vamsee Rama Raju's centre for the disabled aims to give them a new lease of life
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We pick up these kids or adults from bus-stands, road centres and hamlets. It's painful to know that most of them are made professional beggars by their own parentsVAMSEE RAMA RAJU
WALKING ON Calipers at the centre and (below) the challenged receive treatment
Today, where commercial considerations outweigh cultural concerns, it is rather unusual to find a wholly cultural organisation that delves deep into a social cause and demands 100 per cent commitment and charity.
Rama Raju, the architect of Vamsee Art Theatres and Vamsee-Berkley awards, stands tall at Vegesna, his acre and a half large rehabilitation centre for the physically challenged at Kuntloor village (Hayatnagar).
As you enter the premises, you are drawn into an unseen part of our own world, yet so different. It challenges you, tugs at the heart and demands your attention. No, it'snot aggressive. It is docile, appealing and wondrous. A whole community lives life to its fullest within the boundaries of Vegesna — laughing, studying, working, playing, eating and sleeping just like any one of us. Yet none of the inhabitants of this commune are like us. Padmavathi, the lovely looking graduate with a beautiful baby, limps her way to us to give an account of her rekindled life, thanks to Vegesna. This former (1995) youth Congress secretary from Khammam came to the foundation ten years ago for treatment of her legs. She eventually got married and under the most medically trying circumstances was able to deliver a normal healthy child. "I was advised by the doctors not to have a child as my pelvic bones could not take the strain. I took a great risk and the doctors did their best. Today, I am a proud mother," says Padma with a sparkle in her eye.
Essentially an art patron, Vamsee Rama Raju has an eye for talent and is able to give a third dimension to the differently abled by teaching them dramatics, dance and music. "It doesn't stop at that. We have toured the world with our troupe performing on stage and coming home with accolades," says A. Subbarayadu, a BSc Computers graduate from Kurnool, who along with Padma staged many a mythological play. "Both of them play Satyabhama and Krishna and are known by their roles than by their names. In fact, we have a bunch of talented youngsters who are ace performers," says Bala Tripura Sundari, chairman of the Foundation. She escorts us around each of the structures specifically constructed to enable the inmates to move around without discomfort. There is the school, a hostel each for the girls and boys, the handicrafts floor, the physiotherapy unit (with a therapist and nurse round-the-clock not to talk of a regular doctor on visits), an equipment repair unit, which is one of its kind, with the inmates trained to help in the re-setting of their shoes, calipers, etc that need alterations as the child grows.
"We encourage most of them to come here at a very early age as the rectification on tender limbs yields sure results. They are asked to stay here for nearly ten years to emerge as fully equipped and independent individuals. Study becomes a part of the programme and food and shelter inevitable," says the chairman. It is indeed surprising to know that a free private bus service plies from the home to various hamlets nearby for a house-to-house check and pick up of the physically afflicted children whose parents are illiterate and reluctant to get the treatment. Of late, a small unit for the mentally retarded children has opened. "We pick up these kids or adults from bus-stands, road centres and hamlets. It's painful to know that most of them are made professional beggars by their own parents. We literally cajole them into joining the institution free of cost, get their orthopaedic treatment or operations done at our expense, feed them, school them and finally turn them into independent entities who can survive on their own. says Rama Raju. "This institution runs on NRI funds and donations from friends in the cultural and cine circuit rather than by any governmental aid as such. The central financial assistance that comes with a lot of tags is a pittance. It's ironical that a full-fledged organisation is far beyond the purview of the governmental welfare guidelines. Let it be so. As long as I live there is no dearth for my inmates. But this foundation should thrive long after-that is my dream. More and more disabled children should pass out of its gates with a confidence and swagger that they can take up life like any one of us.''
Two temples within the premises, a dining space in the front yard of one of the temples is a sort of silent proclamation to an unseen, divine hand behind the show. Irrespective of caste and creed, the children do their prayers as part of their curriculum. Nutritious food, comfortable living conditions, unpolluted environment, trained, dedicated staff and a founder-patron with the zest of a missionary can make a world of difference to this special world.
RANEE KUMAR
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