SILVER PROFILES

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Dr. G. G. Parikh
A doctor for Tara village

There are people who dream, and then there are people who do. Dr. G.G. Parikh is, undoubtedly, one of the latter. Known to all his friends as 'G.G.', Dr. Parikh is one of the mainstays of the Yusuf Meherally Centre, a centre for rural re-empowerment, located in Tara village, Panvel.

Started in the memory of Yusuf Meherally, the prominent freedom fighter, the original objectives of the Centre were to promote national integration and study the problems of urbanisation. However, over the years, the Centre has evolved as one concerned with the development of rural society as a whole. As a founder member of the Centre, G.G. has contributed to it in diverse ways, participating not only in the Sunday Clinic in Tara village in the capacity of a doctor, but also in several other activities concerning women's empowerment, education and employment.

"I am a medical man first," declares G.G., "but one cannot tackle only one aspect of rural development without tackling all the other aspects. The best way to help village people is to teach them to help themselves." Today, at 78, G.G. continues to be an active member of the Meherally Centre, a part of its managing committee.

Despite ill health, which prevents him from pursuing his other interests such as politics (G.G. was a member of the Janata Party and was jailed during the Emergency), G.G. continues to go to the Centre every Sunday. He no longer works in the Sunday clinic, but supervises the work in other fields instead.
Malini Munshi
Alternative medicine practitioner
It's never too late to start. That's what Malini Munshi learned at age 40. Once her children were grown up and settled, she felt that she wanted to be more than a housewife.
"I grew up in a village where there were always too few doctors and too many illnesses," says Malini, "so I wanted to learn how to heal people." She decided to learn alternative medicine. For 20 years now, Malini has been using her skills in acupressure, mudra vignyan and ayurveda to cure people, providing free services to all who seek them. She works mainly with senior citizens, treating them in her home in Pune. She also visits various institutions and organisations located as close home as in Lonavla and as far away as in Canada, and gives lectures on traditional Indian medicine.
In all these, she is ably supported by her husband. Says Malini, "He is very supportive of my work and encourages me continuously. He is also actively involved in various kinds of social work, especially for senior citizens, so we travel to different places together."
Besides her work in medicine, Malini has also helped to establish several balwadis and schools for financially backward students. Her hobbies include writing short stories for children and poetry.
Malini gets tremendous satisfaction from the work she does. "Good health leads to a good life," says Malini, "and that's what I give people."
You can contact Malini Munshi at 9-10/1B, Sangam Park Apts., Maharshi Nagar, Guttekdi, Pune 411037. Tel: 426 2907.
Bansari Parekh
Teacher who refuses to retire
Bansari Parekh has been a teacher for over 35 years now. For 35 years, she taught at the G.T. Girls High School in Mumbai and then retired on reaching the age of superannuation. But instead of merely becoming a 'retired teacher' she decided that she would continue to teach. So she joined Modern High School, where she herself had studied as a child. The school welcomed her with open arms. She now teaches English to the primary section students in this Gujarati medium school and is actively involved in all its cultural activities.
Her official working hours are from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., but Parekh regularly leaves home earlier and returns much later, as she is constantly organising assemblies and functions beyond the official scope of her job as English teacher. Besides, she writes and directs plays and pens songs for her students to sing at assemblies.
Today, at the age of 68, Parekh continues to lead an extremely active life. Her enthusiasm in all her preoccupations has only increased with the years. "All the young people I meet and interact with keep me young", she maintains. Parekh is also a voracious reader and a lover of Indian music. Also she contributes articles regularly to the Gujarati newspaper Janmabhoomi Pravasi.
"Success," says Parekh, "cannot be measured in monetary terms. It is measured by the fulfillment one receives from one's work." And Parekh thoroughly enjoys her work at school, but what she enjoys even more is that her students and ex-students are in regular contact with her. They call up and also visit her, regarding her as not just as a teacher, but as a friend. "That," she says, "is my biggest achievement and my biggest reward."
Neela Balsekar
Herbal Cosmetics Maker
It started out as a little bit of fun for Neela Balsekar 15 years ago. At the encouragement of her daughter-in-law, Balsekar began developing and making various herbal cosmetics at home, which she thought she might try to sell. She made a few samples of her cosmetics and distributed them amongst beauticians and some friends, hoping that a few of them would like her products and come back for more. They did. Not only did they buy her products for themselves, but they recommended them to others, and soon Balsekar had a thriving business.
"My family was and is very supportive of me," says she. "That is how I have managed to run this business." A full time grandmother now, Balsekar continues to make her beauty products and tries never to say 'no' to her loyal customers. Balsekar's products include skin toners, cleansing creams and different kinds of herbal shampoos.
Along with making herbal cosmetics, Balsekar also writes short stories and novelettes for children. She has made improvised commentaries on audio tape about the lives of saints like Kabirdas and Janabai. "I started writing short stories for visually handicapped children at the 'Happy Home School for The Blind' at Worli, where I would go regularly to read to the students," explains Balsekar. "After some time, I started making up my own stories to read to them."
Today, Balsekar is giving more time to her writing and is due to come out with a novelette in a few months time. "I am just an ordinary person," this 63-year-old housewife claims. But is there something like just an ordinary person? Every seemingly ordinary person is capable of extraordinary achievements, given the motivation and right circumstances.
S. Ganesan
Advocate, Activist
In 2000, spurred by the number of accidents that happened on the eastern Express Highway, Mumbai-based Chembur resident S. Ganesan spearheaded an agitation for a sub-way and succeeded in getting one operational in ten months time. This is only one of the activities that has turned 70-year-old S.Ganesan into a "friend, philosopher and guide" to residents of his area.
Post retirement from the corporate sector, Ganesan has embraced community work with redoubled commitment, becoming virtually a model of an ideal senior citizen. He took the initiative of forming a citizens' forum in his locality with the objective of improving the basic quality of life of local residents. Some of the achievements of the Forum include a state of the art jogging track - used by as many as 400 people every day, a kids' play station and a number of gardens. Under his direction, a compendium of the area was compiled and published as a reference Directory.
Besides being a matchmaker, Ganesan has also earned a reputation as a counselor to those undergoing marital problems. Says Ganesan, "It gives me tremendous satisfaction when I can help a couple resolve difficult issues between them. I render this service free of cost."
Professionally Ganesan gave his career a new twist following retirement. Reveals Ganesan, "While in service, I had got myself qualified in Law. After retirement, I enrolled as an Advocate and have handled different corporate cases." He has concluded trade agreements and obtained trademarks and patents in India and overseas for his clients.
Ganesan's chief strength is his penchant to keep up with the times. He has made himself computer literate following training in NIIT. An avid reader and traveller, he makes it a point to visit all exhibitions and trade fairs and keep himself updated. As he says, "Chronologically, I have become a senior citizen, but I still feel young at heart."
Dr Lal Behari Kabi
Committed Physician
Serving society is his hobby, attending to the sick and the needy his mission, playing host his favourite recreation. At 93, Jamshedpur-based Dr Lal Behari Kabi treats approximately 100 patients a day, charging only a nominal fee of Rs.2 per patient.
Born in 1911 at Saraikela, Dr Kabi received his medical degree from Cuttack and thereafter joined the Tata hospital in May 1932. He served in that hospital till 1970. Since 1970, he has been treating patients from home. He has attended to about 1.6 lakh patients almost free of charge.
Admits Dr Kabi modestly, "I am not much of an achiever, But when I review the course of my life, I derive much pleasure and satisfaction from the thought that in my modest way, I have been able to help the poor and the sick and thus bring smiles to the lips of some distressed people."
The oldest member of the United Club and Lions Club of Jamshedpur, Dr Kabi is a linguist . He can speak in Hindi, English, Oriya, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Santhali and Bengali.
At 93, he continues to be mentally and physically agile. He starts the day at 4.00 a.m. with a morning walk. A proof of his health is his remarkable eyesight. Dr Kabi enjoys normal eyesight and can read without glasses.
The Jamshedpur chapter of Dignity Foundation recently felicitated Dr Kabi in recognition of his selfless service to society. Dr Kabi attributes all he has done to his widowed mother. "She had strong religious convictions and taught me to love and worship Lord Jagannath. My faith has remained unshaken to this day. I firmly believe that every person has a role to play in this world and he should play it to the best of his ability."