My Social Activities
Nargis Dutt Mobile Hospital
The Nargis Dutt Mobile Hospital was launched on 5th nov at the Nehru nagar slums of Vile Parle (W), Mumbai. the Mobile hospital is equipped with a Minor Operation Theatre, X Ray machine, ECG, full Pathology Set up, an ENT specialist and two Doctors cabins. The Mobile Hospital will work thru Mumbai from Monday to Friday at different areas.The Mobile Hospital is equipped with the latest equipment and will benefit the people of our city, especially the poor. This is a project under the aegis of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer foundation.
Gandhigiri March
On Oct 2nd, the Birth Centenary of Mahatma Gandhi thousands of people from all walks of life , including school children and senior citizens undertook a Peace March in Juhu, Mumbai to propogate the ideals and views of the father of our Nation. We organised the March to bring about awareness and spread the message of Peace and Ahimsa.
Mumbai Blast 2006
During the recent blasts that shocked Mumbai, I and my workers took to the streets. We took the injured to the hospitals , facilitated their easy admission and saw that they got immediate attention. We also arranged for medical supplies. We saw to it that the paper work moved quickly in the hospitals and discharge and shifting of the injured was smooth. We also started a helpline at my office which helped families trace the deceased and injured. We also saw to it that the hospitals took utmost care of the patients and also facilitated the compensation given by the Government. We ensured that the funds were released quickly to the families of the deceased and the injured.
Project Muskurahat
Through this project we distributed over 14,000 notebooks for free to children studying in BMC schools in Mumbai. Through this effort we touched the lowest sections of the society. We also collected and distributed clothes for orphans and street children under this project.
Rajiv Gandhi Computer Education Project
We trained over 1,200 people, including women and children, from lower middle class families through this project. All of them were trained in basic computer knowledge which went on for almost a month.
Mobile Hospital
The Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation donated on the 30th of March 2000 our first Mobile Hospital for service to the poor people of Mumbai. This hospital has been in service ever since and is regularly used by several charitable trusts in and around Mumbai. On the 4th of April, 2001, another mobile hospital was donated to the Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital and Research Center Jaipur, Rajasthan. The constant understanding with the beneficiaries is that they will use this facility to service the poor and under privileged of society. A third Mobile Hospital is in the pipeline now and will be donated to a deserving hospital in the North East region of India.
Cancer
Before the sad demise of my mother, Smt. Nargis Dutt, she expressed a strong desire, that even the poorer sections of society must have a chance to access similar treatment for cancer as she had. After her demise, we set up the Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation, a charitable trust which is active in several countries around the world such as USA, Canada, Germany and the UK. These chapters help us raise funds for cancer treatment here in India. Through this trust we have upgraded several charitable hospitals in India with advanced medical equipment worth approximately Five Million Dollars (US).
Spastic Society of India
Founded over 30 years ago, SSI was one of the first Schools for the Spastics in India. The mission of this foundation is to prepare these special children for a normal life in the best possible way. We work towards rehabilitation and Inclusive education, which means that we try and bring our special children under the umbrella of mainstream education as early as possible. We also work towards improving their chances for employment in the real world, by outfitting companies and organizations with access ramps to the work place. For our children its not the wheelchair, but the staircase that is the impediment.
I am currently one of the Trustees of the Spastic Society of India. I also function as Coordinator for the Policy Study unit of the National resource Center for Inclusion.
Further, I Chair the Fund raising & Networking Committee, which deals with community participation and corporate involvement.
Today SSI is one of the largest NGOs in the Country.
AIDS
Along with the help of Dr. I.S. Gilada of the People’s Health Organization (India) and my father, we started an Awareness campaign on prevention of the spread of the deadly HIV virus. This activity was focused on the Red Light district of our city aimed at educating the sex workers in this region on how they could protect themselves against this disease.
The campaign was then strategically extended to other sections of society such as factory workers, truck drivers and students.
Anti- drug campaign.
Drug abuse, its cause and effects is a problem that plagues our inner cities today. It is a sickness that peculates through every layer of society. I have had very close personal experience with this disease, the troubles and family trauma that goes with it, and the experience to overcome it as well.
This is one area of work that needs constant attention. I have held various Anti- Drug campaigns in Mumbai, especially the slum areas. These campaigns have focused on several issues pertaining to drug-abuse such as early detection, treatment and counseling & gearing up families as a support system for the addicts.
Along with my father, we arranged several International and national seminars / conferences involving social organisations and Non-Government Organizations, like Lions etc. The Late Mother Theresa took time out to come bless us at one of our conferences. Importantly, many of these seminars were aimed at schools and colleges across India.
Work in this field will be high on my agenda. The need of the hour is not only treatment for the effected, but also identification and confinement of other drug usage related diseases such as AIDS & HIV. These areas need urgent and powerful action.
2005
During the recent floods in Mumbai, in my limited capacity (as I was not a Member of Parliament), I undertook several relief measures in areas most effected by the disaster. We responded as best as we could with ready food, basic clothing, floor mats, basic cooking utensils, drinking water, etc. We assisted the government mechanism in every way we could providing manpower and machinery in clearing up of garbage and debris in the area, freeing up of storm water drains, and collection and disposal of garbage and animal carcasses. We also assisted in creating systems for the smooth distribution of relief being provided by the government. Several Free Medical camps were set up in the effected areas to minimize the spread of disease and treat injuries cause during the disaster. I was personally in the area every day giving reasonable hope and encouragement to those who had lost everything.
1999
A similar exercise was undertaken in 1999, when we drove across SAARC countries to promote peace and harmony, co-existence and mutual Development in the region. This expedition called “Hands Across the Borders” went through Sri-Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India. Unfortunately Pakistan was not accessible during the time due to tension in the Kargil region.
I also was an integral part of several other social activities due to my father’s direct involvement. My father was a strong advocate of Peace and Communal Harmony, and it was this passion that led him to undertake several peace marches in areas and times most effected such as Bhagalpur Riots, Babri Masjid, communal riots in Mumbai during the worst period of our cities history etc. During the Godhra riots, a peace march was held in the riot affected areas of Ahmedabad. 1000 children orphaned by the riots were supported for one year. Their education needs were taken care of by us for this period.
1995
In 1995 I accompanied my father along with 18 other eminent citizens of India on an expedition we called the Azad Hind Expedition. We drove through Singapore – Malaysia – Myanmar – North Eastern States of India – West Bengal – Bihar – up to New Delhi. This exercise was undertaken as a mission to educate and bring awareness to the youth of the country of the sacrifice of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army in our freedom struggle against the British. This expedition of over 10,000 miles was a huge success and was of great educative value to the youth of the nation.
1988
On the 6th of August 1988, we undertook another memorable march, but this time overseas. My father was a stalwart of the doctrine of peace and strongly pursued the philosophies of the great Mahatma Gandhi, who taught us the value of brotherhood, understanding, and non-violence. In a humble way my father tried to influence the international community with this gesture. I was fortunate to be an integral part of this amazing journey, which will be long remembered by the people of several nations.
Although he was relatively unknown in Japan at that time, he showed me that in order to make your point, all you need to do is walk through your beliefs with your head held high, and the world would stop to take notice.
We marched from Nagasaki to Hiroshima, Japan for World Peace and Nuclear disarmament. Many may question the results of such efforts, and to them I can only say “I tried, did you?”
1987
At a time when the country was under a cloud of violence and communal disaccord; when words like ‘terrorism’ and ‘racism’ were becoming a major share of everyday discussion, a gesture of peace and brotherhood was most needed. I accompanied my father on a 78-day peace march from Mumbai to Amritsar, hoping to touch a cord with the people of India that all is not lost. “Give peace a chance” was my personal motto.
Covering a distance of over 2700 Km, over a period of 78-days, this unique march was highly acknowledged by the national as well as the international community.
Punjab was going through a terrible turmoil; it was a State burning with violence and hatred, and needed a healing touch. Putting our lives in danger, we believed strongly in the power of love and peace as our only shields. This walkathon for peace and national Integration was later seen as a major step in raising awareness about pertinent issues that were plaguing our society at that time.
Moreover, this walk gave me unforgettable insights into the real India. Caught in our own fast pace lives in our bustling cities, we often take for granted our basic necessities, and yet here were these remote little villages, where securing that illusive “matka” of water a day was yet a monumental feat.
These were my learning years, and issues such as these touched me deeply. The 78-day walk was punishing, but not nearly as much as the years of ‘punishment’ that many of our brothers & sisters endure, and yet call it Life.