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Latha Nair, Amrita Varshini, Marappalam, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram |
Mighty rivers
start with a mere trickle. The good Samaritan
drive of young Latha Nair started with the gift of lunch for her not-so-well-off
classmate in college. Soon she donned
the role of an organizer by assembling her friends to take turns to bring food
for that bright girl.
The
influence of her teacher, Sr.Latheesha, encouraged her to spread the wings of
her charity beyond the walls of the classroom.
It broadened as a kind look, a pair of dress and so on.
The test of
faith came when her would-be groom met with a serious accident just few days
before their marriage. Against best intended
advice, she dared to garland the one who had been bandaged from head to toe in
the hospital.
For months,
she looked after her husband and brought him back to life. Meanwhile, she secured a job in Matsafed and
had a daughter. In the midst of domestic
and official duties, she did not disappoint the ones who came to her for succor.
However, before
she was 40, her husband succumbed to the inevitable. And after her daughter married and embarked
to the USA, she felt the lonesome emptiness.
One more decade passed in official work and concurrent social service. It was then that Providence chose her to shoulder
challenging task.
She had no
knowledge of brittle bone disease when a friend asked her if she could look
after such a patient from Sultan Bathery, Wayanad. It was based on the life of this patient that
she started Amrita Varshini as a forum and succor to such persons.
A patient with
this disease is likely to suffer about 400 fractures in his or her
lifetime. Even a strong sneeze can be a
threat to them. Amrita Varshini is the first
shelter for such patients in India.
Latha finds
fulfilment in the mundane achievements of her patients. Her eyes light up when speaking of Sajitha
who sat up for the first time after 35 years of lying in bed.
Courtesy: V.R. Jyothish (text), Sreekanth Kalarikkal (photo), Vanitha, November 1-14, 2019
