 |
| Razia Banu, Devi Nursing Home, Palakkad |
At an age when many a young woman would dream of marriage and children of their own, nurse Razia dreamt of looking after those who gasped for a whiff of loving care. So she started such a home, where she now looks after 3 forsaken old women.
Though she lost her mother at the age of 3, Razia passed through childhood protected by the love of her elder sisters. And as the 6th child of her parents, she did not lack such love. And yet while studying at Moins School, Palakkad, she used to feel sad about sorrow seen inside the classroom and outside it.
Although she married after completing the 10th standard, the marital life was short-lived. Nizam Ali, her husband, soon succumbed to blood cancer and she was a widow by the age of 21. She then came back to her home.
Soon a desire to study further possessed her and she did a course in nursing. Razia then joined Devi Nursing Home, run by family friend Dr.Narayanan. In the meanwhile, her father had died and she had been living with her elder brother. Despite pressure from near and dear ones to get married again, she nurtured another dream which she revealed to Dr.Geetha of the Nursing Home.
Her desire was to start a home for the abandoned. And so, with the support of Dr.Geetha and others, she opened Santhi Neketan, home for the helpless, in a rented house in Ram Nagar, Palakkad. 3 old women who have non to look after them are the inmates at present. And using her meager earnings, Razia feeds them, cloths them and takes care of their medical needs.
Her only prayer to the Merciful Lord is to grant her health. For who would look after the inmates if she falls ill?
Courtesy:
Sulfikar (text), Rajan M.Thomas (photo), Sree, Malayala Manorama, August
6, 2006
Contributed by: Administrator
