Medical Undergraduate Student's Interaction with a Donor Family
(Conceptualized & structured by Dr. Sheetal Joshi, Associate Professor ,
Dept. Of Anatomy, Lady Hardinge Medical College)
Interviewers Miss Anushree and Miss Neha with the donors family
“IN YOUR LIFE, YOU TOUCHED SO MANY. IN YOUR DEATH, MANY LIVES WERE CHANGED.”
Guru Ditta Ram Sapra, Son of Tikaya Ram, resident of Central Delhi, was born a century ago in the year 1916, the same year in which Lady Hardinge Medical College was established. Who knew then that this man would not only leave an everlasting impact on the lives of others during his journey of life, but also would be the learning resource for the students of this college today. A legacy is etched into the hearts and minds of his family, his colleagues, and even us now. His contribution to the medical fraternity is not only an act worth appreciating but also something that others can learn from, for the fact that not many come out for this noble cause. But this man had great thoughts, we say this not only because he would be of immense help for the medical students here, but also for the way he led his life and instilled those great thought in the people around him, be it his family, colleagues or any other person he ever interacted with. Not everyone’s journey of life in this world is easy, but his was one of the toughest, because he belonged to the grievous era of PARTITION, the time which no one would ever want to be a witness of. He, along with his family lived in Lailpur, Harchanpura, which at that time was bound to be bordered by Pakistan. He knew at that time that escape was the only way to life from there, for he feared that Hindus would not have a right to life in Pakistan. Times were tough, lives were changed, but both sides were equally destroyed and disheartened.
“तकसीम हुआ मुल्क तो दिल हो गए टुकड़े,
हर सीने में तूफान वहां भी था यहां भी,
घर घर में चिता जलती थी लहराते थे शोले,
हर शहर में श्मशान वहां भी था यहां भी,
गीता की न कोई सुनता न कुरान की सुनता,
हैरान सा ईमान वहां भी था यहां भी”.
But ‘CHANGE’ is the inevitable truth of this life. Times are bound to change, nothing remains same forever. With a firm belief, a hope of good change and a lot of courage in heart, he was still not thinking about himself first. He had a younger brother and a sister to look after. His parents did not survive the tough times. And one can only imagine how difficult it would have been for this young man to take care of his family all by himself during that difficult time. But he managed to keep his sister close to life by sending her to Delhi early by airways with 30-35 rupees at that point in time. But he along with his younger brother escaped only after things got out of control and riots broke out.
He reached Jalandhar via Amritsar and reached the camps of Rashtriya Swayamseva Sangh (RSS), where a hope of new life filled him with immense joy (meanwhile, his younger brother was sent to Delhi, to be with his sister) and the new era of “SWAMIJI” started. He was addressed as SWAMIJI by everyone in the camp. He took care of not only himself but of every other person there. He worked whole heartedly for the people there, and it was then that Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee told him to go to Delhi, Jhandewalan to establish and take care of the new office of RSS there. It was only under his supervision that the entire place of RSS at Jhandewalan was made. As remembered by his family members, he brought up the entire place like his own child, planted all the trees by himself and took care of the place all throughout his life.
He was a very devotional man, who never thought about himself but lived for doing the good of humanity. He also had made a small place for the daily pooja in Jhandewalan RSS centre and would devote a major part of his time to it. Even after constant persuasion of his family, he never got married, for he wanted to work for the people all through his lifetime, for he belonged to a period of partition, the immensely difficult time, and thus knew deeply what “SEWA” could mean in this world.
He served many people during his life, but even before saying goodbye to this life, he worked for us, the future doctors, as well. He donated his body to our college for he was of the thought that good doctors can only be made when they learn, and learn through something that is as real as life. He also pledged his eyes and as his most favourite person, his nephew, Mr. Ashok Sapra says that it is indeed overwhelming not only for him but for the entire family that the eyes which used to see them everyday, are still here with them, amongst them, experiencing life in its most beautiful form of “SERVICE TO HUMANITY”, we at Lady Hardinge, share the same emotion.
Support of family is the pillar of strength that everyone wishes to have and Swamiji was a very fortunate man to have had that because only because of their acceptance of this very sensitive issue of Body Donation, Swamiji could work for the students here at Lady Hardinge Medical College even after his life.
WE MAKE A LIVING BY WHAT WE GET, BUT WE MAKE A LIFE BY WHAT WE GIVE
Guru Ditta Ram was indeed a great man, a wonderful intellect, a great soul of matchless courage. We pay tribute to this great soul because he used his matchless power for the good of man. He lived everyday as if he were the society’s future and hope.
His journey of life and life after death with his immensely strong will power to never lose a battle to hopelessness makes me remember the words of the man who gave a new life to SWAMIJI; Swamiji’s personality moulded into a true reflection of the words of Shri Vajpayee himself:
“
क्या हार में क्या जीत में, किंचित नहीं भयभीत मैं
कर्तव्य पथ पर जो मिला, ये भी सही वो भी सही
वरदान नहीं मांगूंगा, हो कुछ भी पर हार नहीं मानूंगा।"
(Survived by his work, and family- .......)
As his beloved family members remember: “ He came here to be for all and with all, and what he did in his lifetime would be echoed by tomorrow to the people. Humans are divided into different clans and tribes, and belong to countries and towns, but he found himself stranger to all communities and belonged to no settlement. The universe was his country and the human family was his tribe.”
(Late Guru Ditta Ram Sapra with his family – on the occasion of Rakshabandhan )