Aravind Eye Hospital is a boon to the visionless people. It is a vision temple in which doctors remain as deities with a dispensary that functions as store-house of “Prasads”. The service of patient-counsellors is like diamond stones in a golden anklet….. Thus goes the glorifying verse of Mr. Abdul Rahim (not his real name) of Madurai who underwent surgery for Primary Open Angle Glaucoma in both eyes at Aravind-Madurai.
Mr. Rahim who has regained vision after surgery has written a letter to the Counsellors in the Glaucoma Clinic. In that letter he has conveyed his gratitude to the hospital, the doctors, ophthalmic assistants, patient-counsellors and staff of medical shop in the form of a Tamil verse which has been translated as under
This is a Temple
The doctors are Deities
The Dispensary is the place of Prasads!
For those drowned in darkness
It is a journey towards Light
For the community sans vision
Aravind serves as a Beacon
It is the Future of the Sightless!
With no money one loses food
With no character one loses friends
With no education one loses eyes
With no affinity one loses the country
With no affection one loses life’s fragrance
With no vision one loses every thing!
It is said God can be seen
In the poor man’s smile
I see God in the eyes of
Aravind doctors who restore vision
And make life meaningful!
The counselling rendered by
The counsellors
Was like diamond stones in a
Golden anklet-And I saw a
Mother’s affection in their service!
Many have regained sight
By your kind and compassionate care
And my parents are a few among them!
Aravind doctors are like birds
Which fly in the service of people
And you devote your life
To make the patients happy
You are like the candles
That melts for the people!
Aravind Eye Hospital is a Boon
To the visionless-You two are
A Boon to Aravind Eye Hospital
And it is my Boon to write this
Verse in praise of you!
Wish you all get blessed
Through out your life
In the service of patients
The eyes of people like me
Which regained vision deserve
To be given as offerings as a
Mark of our gratitude!”
- Mr. Abdul Rahim
Such thanks-giving letters that reflect patient satisfaction are cherished by Aravind Eye Hospital as great rewards from the society.Script: K.V.S. Lakshmanan