miscellaneous

Dr Life's Day At The Hospice

Just this side of Ayodhya, an old Muslim gives himself over to the creed of man

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Dr Life's Day At The Hospice
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This old samaritan’s day starts at 5 am when he goes to the district hospital to give a wash to all those patients who have no attendant or family member to look after them. He feeds these patients and assists the nurse in giving them medicines as well. Doctors say Sharif has become an integral part of the hospital. And they often depend on him to take care of those patients who have no relatives or friends to turn to. Once he’s done at the hospital, Sharif turns to his own work which earns him his livelihood—repairing cycles. In the evening, after closing shop, Sharif is back at the hospital and stays there till late in the night.

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Not just the sick or injured, Sharif has also taken the responsibility of performing the last rites of any unclaimed body in Faizabad. "Meri koshish hai ki mere rahte Faizabad me koi lawaris na mare (My effort is to see to it that no one should die and get buried without dignity at least in Faizabad till I am alive)," says Sharif. He does not discriminate on the basis of religion. Along with the burial of 500 unclaimed Muslim bodies, Sharif has also cremated 700 Hindu bodies with all the rituals involved.

Sharif’s service has now been acclaimed even by the district administration. "All the staff—from the junior-most to senior officers—know Sharif and try to help him in the noble task that he is engaged in," says the former senior superintendent of police, Faizabad, Avinash Maurya. One police officer even gifted Sharif a mobile phone to assist him in his work.

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Sharif has put up 25 signboards at strategic points in the city like the railway station and district hospital requesting people to contact him if they spot any unclaimed body or destitute sick or injured. The two rickshaws hired by Sharif wait in front of the hospital and railway station to bring in any such person who requires help.

How does a cycle mechanic get the money for all the work? "I go from shop to shop and home to home asking for help. People donate whatever they can afford," he says. However, substantial contributions come during Ramzan when he collects around Rs 1.5 lakh in just one month. The money is deposited in a bank. The bank manager has been authorised to supervise all expenditures and maintains a balance-sheet since the good samaritan does not have the time to manage the account.

Sharif bhai has not received any certificate of acknowledgement or medal for his work. But for him, the best recognition are the letters he keeps getting from the families of all those people whose lives were saved because of his timely intervention. He has safely kept all the letters that have come to him from faraway places like Mumbai and Udaipur. What keeps him going is the fact that he is doing his bit to ensure that no one in his home town is suffering in pain just because there is no one to look after them, and also even the unclaimed bodies are being treated with respect and being buried or cremated with dignity.

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Sharif bhai can be contacted at Zanana Aspatal Road (Women Hospital Road), Taad Ki Takia, Faizabad. Mobile: 92358-53230.

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