January 4, 1999

NEEMUCH EYE DONORS
A People with Vision

Residents of this obscure town have helped hundreds of blind people see.

Tucked away in a corner of north-western Madhya Pradesh, Neemuch is so obscure that it is difficult to reach it by train. Yet its residents take pride in working miracles: in making the blind see. Cornea donation is a mass movement here. As Bhanu Dave, an old resident puts it, "It has become a status symbol here."

It began as a Lions Club project in 1983. As M.L. Garg, among the pioneers, recalls, "It took courage to approach grieving relatives for eye donations." The response was often physical assault. Nevertheless, by the early '90s the Neemuch elite had been persuaded. Congressman Sitaram Jaju pledged his eyes. So did former BJP chief minister Sunderlal Patwa's father.

A cornea must be transplanted within 90 hours of donation. Initially, corneas had to be transported to the nearest hospital in Indore (250 km away), packed in an icebox. They would often atrophy en route. Local philanthropist G.D. Agarawal stepped in and built Gomabai Eye Hospital in 1992.

Over the past decade and a half, Neemuch has donated 859 pairs of eyes and by 1998 was reported to have the highest per capita donations. Says Shyam Naredi, secretary of the local Lion's Club: "When parents offer the eyes of small children, it is really touching. But it is also the touchstone of our success." Someday all India will see the light.

© Living Media India Ltd