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R Sivakumar, a 44-year-old lorry driver from Pavithram in Namakkal, was driving to Tiruchy to deliver goods, when a sudden turn of events shook his present and future altogether. His vehicle rammed into a truck, leaving him gravely injured. Despite getting immediate first aid and being rushed to Stanley Medical College in Chennai, the doctors had no choice but to amputate his right leg to save his life.
For the next five months, Sivakumar’s world was filled with despair. With no financial support from friends or family, he sat idle at home, unable to work. His family barely survived on his wife’s meagre daily wage of Rs 150 or Rs 200. On some days, even that was hard to come by. With zero means to afford further treatment, he was hopeless until a friend told him about the Adinath Jain Trust in Chennai.
Taking a leap of faith, Sivakumar approached the trust in September 2017. To his surprise, they immediately measured his limb and provided him with an artificial leg within a couple of months, completely free of cost. Now, Sivakumar, who is back on his feet, both literally and figuratively, works at a petrol bunk in his village, earning Rs 8,000 per month. All thanks to Adinath Jain Trust, from where he also received a limb for the second term, to replace the existing one, a couple of months ago.
Adinath Jain Trust, established in 1979 by D Mohan, has benefited approximately 14 lakh people over the past four decades. The trust, rooted in the principles of non-violence, commenced its operation with the participation of 32 like-minded individuals interested in social activities. At present, it offers a wide range of social services and public welfare activities, ranging from provision of basic facilities to organisation of skill development classes.
“In our early years, our prime focus was in providing basic necessities like groceries and clothing to the underprivileged. However, in the 1990s, we expanded our services and started to organise prosthetic limb camps, a decision made in collaboration with a Jaipur-based organisation. Our first camp in Chennai saw the participation of over 1,000 people in need of limbs,” said Mohan, the founder.
For N Gnanamani, a 55-year-old painter from Vellanur in Coimbatore, the trust is what made him regain hope in life. “Out of the blue, one day, there was no blood circulation in my left leg. I was being treated at a private hospital in Coimbatore. As there was no blood flow, I could not even walk a single step, and eventually the doctors had to amputate my leg,” he recalled.
With the added pain of losing his son a few years earlier, Gnanamani and his wife struggled to make both ends meet. That’s when they came to know about the trust, and received a prosthetic limb free of cost. “Now, I supervise my painting team and earn a little money,” Gnanamani said with a sense of newfound relief.
Currently, Adinath Jain Trust operates from a 32,000 sq ft facility which is entirely dedicated to public service, with around 1,000 people seeking help daily. “In the previous year alone, we allocated Rs 1.42 crore for public welfare activities. Apart from manufacturing limbs, we offer yoga classes, eye treatment, and distribute equipment such as wheelchairs and walkers, all free of charge. Additionally, we run programmes for women empowerment, such as tailoring classes,” Mohan said.
According to G Banupriya (28) from Tiruvallur, another beneficiary, the trust gave wings to her tailoring dreams. “As we belong to a middle-class family, I wanted to ease my husband’s financial burden. When we visited the trust for my mother-in-law’s eye check-up, I noticed that they also offer tailoring classes. I expressed my desire to learn tailoring and committed nearly seven hours a day to the course. Over time, I acquired skills in stitching blouses, churidars, and other garments. A total of 25 women had been attending the free classes in my batch. Six months ago, we successfully completed the course, and now I am earning Rs 200 a day,” she said.
Though the trust has been successfully providing medical services to hundreds of people every day, Mohan’s vision is aimed at something bigger. “My ultimate goal is to establish a multi-specialty hospital equipped with advanced facilities. Now, we are taking necessary steps to turn this dream into reality,” he adds.
