Ramkumar enjoys March 14, a heavenly euphoria of completing the eye donation of 100 dead people. Ramkumar, a native of Thrippunithura, Kochi, lost his eyesight at the early age of 24, thanks to the glaucoma he caught. Since then, he has visited hundreds of death houses whenever he heard about the deaths of somebody there. As a result, several people got the heavenly light of eyesight; still, he is in his relentless and successful endeavour in search of further eye donations.
Ramkumar is a “Sasthampattu” singer (artist of a peculiar variety of songs to praise Shabarimala Ayyappa Swamy, a programme quite familiar in Sastha temples in Kerala). He is the Ernakulam district working president of Sakshama, an RSS-inspired movement of divyang (people with disabilities) persons. His purpose-rich visits to the death houses have never been a bed of roses. He was driven away from the death houses on several occasions. But ‘never on knees’ was his hashtag. He kept on trying. Because the life filled with ‘24 x 7 night’ was not a tale for him, but his own life experience. Therefore, the noble hunt for eye donation turned his life mission. He continued to educate the people about this lofty sort of donation. Gradually people started to listen to him. Several people agreed with Ramkumar’s words. And today, the cornea of the 100th donor reached the right person.
FB post of Sreejith from Kottayam district, Kerala, says he heard first the term ‘veeravrutam’ from RSS Prarthana ‘Namaste Sada Vatsale Mathrubhoome’ and boudhiks (speeches in RSS programmes). It means one should not give up the chosen path even when floods or hurricane attack. But, the real sense of the terminology was exposed before him through the life of Ramkumar, a divyang who is not capable to ‘eye’ the world as others do. Sreejith does not see any other role model for social work in 2023.
Ramkumar had to visit more than 143 houses before he could bring the kins of the dead on board first time in his mission. Several people physically ousted him from the death houses. But he did not deviate from his path. Sreejith says, no, doubt, he is the person who incarnates veeravrutam. According to him, a mainstream Malayalam news daily described Ramkumar as the ‘man who awaits death’, meaning his hurried visits to the death houses for canvassing for the cornea. This is the reason for his earning all wrath and abuses. Now, he has achieved ‘century’ means 200 people got eyesight. What better noble job one can do in his life! He is the real champion of Sakshama’s CAMBA (Cornea Andhatha Mukth Bharat Campaign).
Ramkumar’s mission is a humble step but a great leap forward to extend succour to about one crore people, including children, who have been awaiting cornea after registering their names in the ‘Eye Bank’.
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