Koshi floods the birth of CALAMITY MEDICINE/ DISASTER MEDICINE

17.9.2008
Koshi floods the birth of CALAMITY MEDICINE/ DISASTER MEDICINE
I am just returned from Koshi flood relief work where I had worked in 1984(and had written an editorial in Aayurvigyan Pragati , CALAMITY MEDICINE then almost unknown which the world now knows as DISASTER MEDICINE.

The Govt. of Gujarat had sent many ambulances and they had appreciation from local people.

Once a doctor there dispensed for long my prescriptions( my coworker told me later- I was busy there maybe 1 minute/patient).. 3 million people are affected seriously- over 2 lakh houses (huts) gulped by flood in only one district of Supaul.

I had never worked less than a national scale(the idea of a national organisation of medicos on 8.8.1977, founding it on 5.11.1977 by collecting medicos from hut to hut in ABVP Conference and collecting money and even going there to work in Andhra Cyclone struck on 19.11.1977) though many think my work regional when I talk of my mother tongue Maithili and ask for a linguistic state, Mithila.

I ask that because Mithila is the seat-anchor of Hindu culture but the poorest part of Hindustan. The area of Varah - Prahlad(I knew that at Bharatmata mandir, Pobandar that Prahlad was born in Purnea the area devastated)-Janak-Jaanki- Yajnavalkya-Maitrayee-Gargi-Gautam-Ahlya-Ashtavakra- Kapil-Jaimini- Vachaspati- Bhamati-Mandan-Bharati) is having the lowest per capita income in the country.

And it has been marginalized again by Koshi, the sister of my ancestor Kaushik, the Vishwamitra.

I know I could not organise much and I had to take help of a corporate house (Jindal)which had earmarked Rs.10 million for this flood relief. Purchased as per my suggestions, around one lakh rupees drugs were prescribed by me (and a young house surgeon Arun from the Koshi area who affirmed to be a NMO worker though no introduction with NMO despite studied at RIIMS, Ranchi!).

I could have some acquaintances- one NGO worker Debashish told me that he in any way will work for the rehabilitation either remaining in the Jindal or even out of that!

Maybe I may not concentrate for long for work all over, due to my physical limitations, I wish many more join and emulate.

Dhanakar