Jain Spirit 2004 10 No 20

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 44

42LIFESTYLE
benefits. This requires each donor to engage in the charity somehow, to see it with their own eyes if possible and better still, give it with their own hands
At this hospital, patients are not stifled by bureaucracy, as most of them are illiterate and would just run away from this. They are, first and foremost, made to feel very welcome. The treatment is not just about the leg, but tries to be holistic. Mr. Mehta tries to personally befriend the patients and talk to them, and if a child is nervous about a particular operation, he does not force it upon her. I saw him laughing and joking with the patients. What is most astounding is that in none of their faces did I see an expression which said, "Why did this happen to me?" Instead, they seem to have fully accepted their injury without question. The eminent Business Professor from the University of Michigan, Dr. C.K. Prahlad,
had recently visited the hospital and was most impressed by its efficiency and cost savings. The Jaipur foot, a very cheap and effective invention for patient mobility. was invented here by a sculptor who still works for this hospital. It is an example of technology made to service basic needs and something which is simple, effective and very patient-friendly. The Tattvartha Sutra goes on to say (7.34): "The worth of a charitable act is determined by the nature of giving, the nature of the alms offered, the disposition of the giver and the qualification of the recipient."
Through my own experience of working for the Jain Spirit Charity, I learnt that a lot of people do not understand the complexities of charity. To publish a professional magazine like Jain Spirit requires skill - not everyone can do it, even if they had the enthusiasm. In a similar vein, to run a good hospital requires skills in medicine and also in hospital management, hygiene, patient relations, after-care, etc. It requires tremendous commitment and dedication from a few people. Mr. D. R. Mehta is a spirit ignited by compassion, and this is not a spirit which we can acquire from a job advertisement - it has to be in-built. The world is enriched by spirits like these who are driven by selflessness. I began to enquire about his past - what went into the making of this person whose last job was Chairman of the Stock
This one statement is packed with so much wisdom. The most important point is the spirit in which the charity is performed. If we engage in charity grudgingly, we will not benefit from it. To know the qualification of the recipient, we have to meet them or at least investigate them. Thus we need to make efforts to understand the charity - who it is for, how it is performed and who really
All photos by James Maturin-Baird
D.R. Mehta with the Clinic clients
Patiently awaiting
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