The proverb ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’ perfectly describes Subhasini Mistry, a vegetable vendor. She was honoured with the Padma Shri award earlier this year for setting up a hospital to help the downtrodden and under-privileged people get medical aid at a negligible fee. She was in the city to inaugurate the 8th Health Film Festival, currently on at National Film Archive of India.
After losing her husband at the age of 23 beacuse he could not receive proper treatment for gastroenteritis, Mistry was left with four children to raise by herself. She was neither formally educated, nor was she aware of the ways of the world. Their future was uncertain, but Mistry was determined enough to build a hospital for the needy someday. She believes that nobody should die untreated because of their financial condition.
To make this dream come true, Mistry toiled day in and day out, working as domestic help, manual labourer and a vegetable vendor. She earned peanuts but invested it in a fixed deposit. She spent as little as she could on herself and provided the basic amenities to her children. She sent her elder son Ajoy to an orphanage, and scrimped to pay for his education. Today, he is a doctor and works in the hospital that his mother dreamt of starting. “My mother told me that she wanted to do something for the underprivileged ones. At that moment, I took an oath that I had to do something that would make her happy and proud of me. That was my motto,” says Dr Ajoy Mistry.
In the year 1992, Mistry bought a piece of land in Hanspukur for Rs 10,000 and encouraged the villagers to contribute whatever they could afford to build a hospital for the underprivileged. In 1993, Humanity Hospital was established. In India, good medical care for the underprivileged is still a dream. Most government hospitals lack proper management, dedicated staff, and standard infrastructure. However, at Humanity Hospital life-saving surgeries are performed for Rs 5000 and minor ailments are treated for Rs 10. This is nothing short of a miracle.
On asking Mistry what kept her motivated throughout the journey, she answers, “I have suffered a lot and I know that there are other people who go through the same. If I can be of some help to the society, then why not? I’ve done nothing by myself. You ask one person for help, and at least five will step in. My son has been my strength all along. Once we were in it, there was no looking back.”
“Isn’t it good doing something for the needy while you can? My son has worked extremely hard to be where he is today and I feel so proud as a mother that his nature is so much like mine,” she adds.
According to Mistry, charity can’t be forced and for that reason alone, she neither judges nor blames the young generation for not being charitable enough, considering all the opportunities and options that they have. “If one has the willpower to do something for others, they will do it no matter what the circumstances are. Can you ever make someone charitable forcefully? You can’t!,” she remarks.
Her son adds, “There are people out there who have got no means. Taking care of them has always been our motto. It used to be tough initially, but if you have the drive and willpower, anything is possible.”
The duo has recently opened another unit of the hospital in Patharpratima, Sunderbans. They have a general ICU, and three operation theatres On being asked how they wish to improve it, he says, “Our hospital lacks CT scan and MRI facilities. We’re trying our level best to install these two as well. Had it not been for my mother, this wouldn’t have been possible. Women are much stronger, you know.”
