Veeraswamy
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25 mins ·
Here is a real-life story of Auto Riksha driver Ravichandran, who saved
an out-of-towner from Calcutta cum a passenger Sankardas. Das had heart
attack. Took him from hospital to hospital. Used his Auto as Collateral
to pay for Das's Pacemaker. Stayed with him in hospital for 20 days. Bid
him goodbye with no spoken words.
Man’s love, kindness and goodness to a fellow man come in the name of
Auto Ravi.
Ravichandran never attended school and won’t take refuge from the rain
in a school. He drives an auto for a living for the past 25 years. He
lives in a rented house with his wife and two daughters in the Old
Vaṇṇārappēttai.
He learnt from the passengers from all over India smatterings of Hindi,
Telugu, Malaiyalam… Because of what he did, he earned a place in the
collective hearts of people.
Sankar Das (52) from Calcutta came to Chennai on a job-related matter.
He took Ravi’s Auto at Cheppak.
Sankar Das did not speak Tamil. He was giving directions to Ravi in
Hindi. Suddenly his speech slurred, his vision dimmed, he was sweating
profusely, lost his consciousness and slumped on the shoulder of Ravi.
Recognizing his physical condition and with no hesitation, he took him
to a nearby private hospital. The examining doctor said that the
passenger had a heart attack and asked him to take him to Royapetta
Government General Hospital.
There were no specialists in the hospital and therefore the hospital
asked him to take him to Rajiv Gandhi Hospital by ambulance.
Ravi the auto driver left his auto there and accompanied Sankar Das to
the former Government General Hospital attached to Madras Medical
College. The patient vomited on Ravi’s body and hands.
The outpatient doctors declared a five-minute delay would have cost his
life, though his life is precarious. The doctors said that Das needed a
pacemaker, which had to be bought immediately outside and any delay
meant loss of life.
Ravi took the cellphone from Sankar Das’s pocket and contacted his
family. He learnt, Das had no money even for a rail ticket and they were
desperately poor.
He used his Auto Certificate of Registration as collateral and borrowed
Rs. 30,000. He borrowed Rs. 27,000 from his friend. He gave Rs. 57K to
the doctors and told them that Tamil Nadu should not earn a bad name
because someone came and died here in the hospital lacking financial
support. Ravi said to the doctors he could raise only Rs. 57K.
The doctors said to him, “You are fidgety and nervous and mortgaged your
Auto for this man. Is he your relation or acquaintance?” Ravi said, “No
such thing. He was my passenger. He leaned on my shoulder and asked for
help. That is all.” The doctors were surprised and made contributions to
buy the pacemaker and successfully completed the operation.
Ten days were gone. Ravi stayed with Das by his bedside and helped Das
with the rehabilitation protocols, meals, medications…
Ravi took care of Das in the daylight hours. He plied his Auto in the
night and gave the earnings to his family. He went from hotel to hotel
looking for prescribed non-spicy foods for Das.
After 20 days of giving personal care to Sankaradas, a person unknown to
him until his ride in his Auto, the doctors discharged him from the
hospital. Ravi took him to three temples after discharge because Ravi
prayed at those temples for his recovery.
When Ravi sent him off to Calcutta, Sankaradas uttered not one word. Das
embraced Ravi and cried with tears rolling down his face. There was no
need for a talk. The lofty language of love spoke.
With Mohamed Ibramsha and Mohammed Sulthan
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