Two years ago, he had lost a limb in a road accident. He was the breadwinner and the tragedy resulted in him losing his job. It put his family under tremendous financial pressure. This was when he saw an ad in a local newspaper about the Jaipur foot camp at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. The Jaipur foot has given him a new lease of life. He is able to walk and -- best of all - he is back at work. T S Guruprasad, from Bellary, was one of the first people to walk into the IIMB campus on October 27, Sunday, and share his story. In fact, there were countless such heart-warming stories that student-volunteers of Prayaas, IIMB's social initiative, got to hear on the sunny morning as patients streamed in.
IIMB's EPGP students have been working tirelessly for months, along with members of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, Jaipur, to make the foot camp a reality. They also organised a free eye camp for the poor. The response to both the foot and the eye camp was very encouraging as the needy poured in from 9 am till 4 pm, keeping doctors and volunteers on their toes.
The eye camp offered diagnosis and treatment for a range of ailments, with patients having travelled from different parts of Karnataka. The day-long eye camp benefited 130 patients, of whom 26 will be treated for cataract and 31 will be provided spectacles, free of cost. Those who need cataract surgery will be treated, free of cost, at Vittala Eye Clinic.
The foot and eye camp was inaugurated by IIMB's Director In-Charge and Dean (Academic) Professor Devanath Tirupati. He handed over the first custom-made Jaipur foot and the first pair of calipers to patients. "It's very heart-warming to see that our EPGP students are continuing with the tradition of community work and finding ways to expand the scope of activity of 'Prayaas'," he said.
The efforts of 'Prayaas' also inspired IIMB's international exchange students to chip in. Johanna Burmann, an exchange student from Europe, who participated as a volunteer at the camp, said: "For me it was great to see how the EPGP students are all working together to have an impact on others' lives. Seeing the first person walk with the prosthetic limb was quite an emotional moment for me."
As one of the volunteers from 'Prayaas' said, "The joy that you get when you make someone smile cannot be expressed in words. You have to be there to feel it."
Alok Jain, an EPGP student, added: "Our learning can be summed in three sentences: The world is a big place and there are problems aplenty. We are but a drop in the ocean, but every drop is important. With Prayaas@IIMBEPGP, we hope to continue to do our bit and make a difference."
Two years ago, he had lost a limb in a road accident. He was the breadwinner and the tragedy resulted in him losing his job. It put his family under tremendous financial pressure. This was when he saw an ad in a local newspaper about the Jaipur foot camp at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. The Jaipur foot has given him a new lease of life. He is able to walk and -- best of all - he is back at work. T S Guruprasad, from Bellary, was one of the first people to walk into the IIMB campus on October 27, Sunday, and share his story. In fact, there were countless such heart-warming stories that student-volunteers of Prayaas, IIMB's social initiative, got to hear on the sunny morning as patients streamed in.
IIMB's EPGP students have been working tirelessly for months, along with members of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, Jaipur, to make the foot camp a reality. They also organised a free eye camp for the poor. The response to both the foot and the eye camp was very encouraging as the needy poured in from 9 am till 4 pm, keeping doctors and volunteers on their toes.
The eye camp offered diagnosis and treatment for a range of ailments, with patients having travelled from different parts of Karnataka. The day-long eye camp benefited 130 patients, of whom 26 will be treated for cataract and 31 will be provided spectacles, free of cost. Those who need cataract surgery will be treated, free of cost, at Vittala Eye Clinic.
The foot and eye camp was inaugurated by IIMB's Director In-Charge and Dean (Academic) Professor Devanath Tirupati. He handed over the first custom-made Jaipur foot and the first pair of calipers to patients. "It's very heart-warming to see that our EPGP students are continuing with the tradition of community work and finding ways to expand the scope of activity of 'Prayaas'," he said.
The efforts of 'Prayaas' also inspired IIMB's international exchange students to chip in. Johanna Burmann, an exchange student from Europe, who participated as a volunteer at the camp, said: "For me it was great to see how the EPGP students are all working together to have an impact on others' lives. Seeing the first person walk with the prosthetic limb was quite an emotional moment for me."
As one of the volunteers from 'Prayaas' said, "The joy that you get when you make someone smile cannot be expressed in words. You have to be there to feel it."
Alok Jain, an EPGP student, added: "Our learning can be summed in three sentences: The world is a big place and there are problems aplenty. We are but a drop in the ocean, but every drop is important. With Prayaas@IIMBEPGP, we hope to continue to do our bit and make a difference."