Children of a Lesser God
November 2007
Jesus touched the lepers physically and emotionally. In recent times, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa worked actively to include them.
And there have been great people like the 14th century Tamil saint Arunagirinathar, who suffered from leprosy, said former President APJ Abdul Kalam at the launch of the Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation (SILF). “While dealing with such a sensitive issue, one should remember that there should be rehabilitation with compassion,' he stressed, and hoped that a sensitive and beautiful movie like Black would be made highlighting their plight, and offered several practical suggestions to take forward the movement.
Yohei Sasakawa, the chairperson of the Nippon Foundation, who has been working for this cause for the past 40 years, said that SILF aims at reaching out to people affected by leprosy in India, and help them return to the mainstream by supporting them to become socially and economically empowered.
Sasakawa said, 'Since its independence, India has achieved a lot in terms of eradication of leprosy. The rate is now less than one case per 10,000 people.'
However, he deplored the fact that most of the afflicted ended up begging on the roads simply because no one was ready to accept them back in the mainstream. Through its umbrella organisation, the Nippon Foundation of Japan, he pledged that $10 million would be infused into the organisation.
A documentary on the condition of the lepers was shown and surely, a large number of people were more sensitised to the plight of this section of society. Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa would have approved.
Contact: www.silf.in
Discussion (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Leave a Comment
You need to login to post a comment.