Ranakpur Jain Temple : A Visual Spectacle

Jain temples in India , have been spectacular, especially the Ancient ones built a few hundred or few thousand years before.

Every Jain temple has a unique pattern , Deravasi Shwetambar jains and the Digambar jains have different patterns in the internal architecture as well as the idol pattern.

Ranakpur jain temple is a place of worship for the Shwetambar Deravasi murtipujak jains.

Ranakpur is a village located in Desuri tehsil near Sadri town in the Pali district of Rajasthan in western India. It is located between Jodhpur and Udaipur. 165 kms from Jodhpur and 90 kms from Udaipur, in a valley on the western side of the Aravalli Range. The Nearest Railway Station to reach Ranakpur is Falna Railway station , which is well connected to all the major cities in India by rail. 

 It is home to one of the biggest and most important Jain temple complexes of India, covering an area of nearly 48,000 square feet area, and has 29 halls, 80 domes and supported by 1444 marble pillars, each of them intricately and artistically carved, yet no two of them are alike.

The Ranakpur Jain Temple was built by a wealthy Jain businessman named Dharma Shah under the patronage of the liberal and gifted Rajput monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century.  Dharma Shah had a celestial vision that left in his heart a burning determination to build a temple in honor of Adinath, the founder of the Jain religion. When Dharma Shah approached Rana Kumbha with his plan, the king not only gave him a plot of land to build the temple but also advised him to build a township near the site. The construction of the temple and the township began simultaneously. The town was named Ranakpur after the King Rana Kumbha.

The large complex of the temple houses Chaumukha Adinath temple (First tirthankar Bhagwan Shri Adinath also called as Bhagwan RishabhDev), 23rd Tirthankar Bhagwan Shri Parsvanath temple,22nd Tirthankar Bhagwan Shri Neminath temple, Amba Mataji temple and Lord Surya temple also. Amongst all these, Chaumukha temple, shaped like a Nalinigulm Vimana (Heavenly Aircraft), is a major attraction and is dedicated to the first Tirthankara of Jains Rishabdev, also called Adinath. The Neminath temple honours the 22nd Tirthankara Neminath and the Parsvanath temple, also called 'Patriyon Ka Mandir', is devoted to the 23rd Tirthankara. The Surya temple, dedicated to Sun God, shows an idol of Lord Surya driving his chariot of seven horses.

The temple construction is said to have begun in the year 1446 and the idols were installed in 1496,  after about fifty years of construction. The construction followed for fifteen more years after installing the idols and it took 65 years in total to complete the entire temple construction, which was unprecedented in history.

One might get surprised at the sight of the inscribed nymphs playing flute in different dance poses at a height of 45 feet. Another piece of attraction is a stunning marble piece which has 108 snake-heads and various tails carved into it with such intricacy that it is impossible to find the end of the tails. Apart from this, another amazing fact about these pillars is that their color changes from golden to pale blue as the light falls on them. 


One of the most amazing features of this incredible temple architecture , is that even though in the scorching summer heat outside , there is a sudden drop in temperature as soon as you enter the temple and feel relatively pleasant. 

The marble carvings , the incredible architecture and the serenity of the place will leave you spellbound and awestruck ! 

IT is said that when the Mughal Emperor Akbar went to this temple, he was so mesmerized with the temple's sheer beauty that he engraved his message on one of the pillars. The message says that no one is allowed to destroy this architectural gem under any circumstances. This temple was also nominated among the top seventy seven wonders by the committee designated to elect the Seven Wonders of the World.

Certainly , This is one of the greatest legacies of jainism and the rich cultural heritage of Rajasthan ! If you are a Jain , certainly you will have an amazing time praying and doing sewa-Puja rituals in this magnificient monumental temple. And for others just soak in the extravagance and the splendour of one of the grandest spectacle in the Royal Rajasthan ! 

Haldighati is one nearby places to visit if you plan a tour to Ranakpur. 
Kumbhalgarh is about 14 kms from Ranakpur , Jalore Wildlife Sanctuary is about 77 kms and Udaipur city is 66 kms from Ranakpur. 

I am not posting too many pictures from of the Temple as they are widely available on many websites on the internet. 

Hope you have a great visit !

Jai Jinendra ! Jai Adinath !

Powering up 50 plus adults to #LiveNonStop

 I enjoy travelling to different locations across India for holidays and pilgrimages. Having
 travelled a lot over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to interact with people
 from different walks of life, across all age groups.
 In my post today, I’d like to talk about an important observation that I’ve made during the course of    my travels.

During my pilgrimages to Gujarat and Rajasthan, I’ve met quite a few individuals over the
age of 50 who expressed their dreams of making the journey to places like Vaishnodevi,
 Kailash ,Amarnath, etc. However, they all expressed a sense of discomfort when it came to
 actually undertaking the trip, being fully aware of the level of physical strength and stamina
 that are prerequisites for these journeys.

This got me thinking... why are so many people over 50 so afraid to take up these activities
that involve strength and physical activity? As a Doctor, I put on my medical hat and looked
at this from a nutrition point of view.

These are some of my observations:

Lack of nutritional awareness:

Nutrition is one of the most important issues that need to be addressed to ensure that our
bodies get the proper care they deserve as we age. Identifying and addressing age related
nutritional deficiencies in a timely manner will enable us to #livenonstop.
 However, what is the right diet; which foods will help more than others; and what quantities are needed on a daily basis, are questions that most of the people I spoke to wanted answers to.

Understanding the nutritional gaps:

The general food habits in our country are a key reason for malnourishment seen in older adults.
Consumption of polished grains like rice and wheat, open pan cooking, heating and reheating food
all result in diminished nutrients in our diet. Further, our appetite reduces with age and digestion
slows down making it difficult to absorb nutrients from our food. Thus, those over 50 don’t often
make the transition required to ensure a balanced diet that provides the body with the extra energy
we require when we get older.

Nutrition supplements for the golden years:

Even though health conscious adults make changes like reducing oil consumption or including more
fruits and vegetables in their diets, what the body often needs on a daily basis, is more than what it
gets from our food - especially when it comes to important nutrients like Protein, Iron, Vitamin D
and Fiber. In such a situation the best answer to bridging those nutritional gaps could come in the form of a good, balanced nutritional supplement. This helps ensure a balanced nutrition intake,
delivering all essential nutrients, which is extremely important. This habit can help ensure that
 hitting 50 doesn’t stop us and we can continue to #livenonstop without any worries or diminished
energy levels.

Nutrition & Exercise: A balancing act:

Balanced meals, necessary health supplements, along with moderate physical exercise like yoga and
brisk walking, can ensure that anyone over 50 continues to live a healthy, stress free life. Exercises to
strengthen various joints can address mobility problems people face with age. A healthy body
ensures a healthy mind and a good state of well being.

I must add that when I brought up these points with the people I interacted with on my journeys,
they were met with eager interest. These individuals seemed to comprehend that in order to
#livenonstop and fulfill their dream of making those long arduous journeys without stress, diet and
exercise were things they would need to focus on. I’m glad that my small observations helped them
realize that being healthy is not an end goal; it’s a way of living.

For inspirational stories of living nonstop,   click here .  It includes motivational stories and tips
that will encourage you or your older family member to #livenonstop and inspire them to fulfill their
dreams or life goals.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored in collaboration with Abbott Healthcare Pvt Ltd, but the views

shared in this article are personal.

Disclaimer: Any facts used in this post are meant for education purpose only.

Gir : Home of Asiatic Lions with an Attitude of its own

A Forest has a typical beautiful attitude of its own , and Gir is certainly no different. Winters in Gir are usually dry and the golden brown colours of the forest adds a certain natural element to the glory of being what it is - The Home of the Asiatic Lions , probably about over 500 lions , 200 leopards and hundereds of Deers.

There are many ways to reach Gir , by Road, Rail and by Air.

Junagadh is about 55 kms from Sasan, the place where all the action is , and Sasan is also centre to lots of places nearby where one can visit the King of the Jungle. Many villages which come inside the territory of the Gir Forest , write Gir along with the name of the village. e.g, Sasan Gir, Bhojde Gir etc.

There are now numerous hotels and resorts and private farmhouses in Sasan as well as many other villages inside the Gir territory. Personally I am against the commercialization of villages in and around wild life sanctuaries. But maybe its a part and parcel of mainataining and protecting the area.

We drove to a private farm in Bhojde. which was about 10 kms from Gir. Enroute we saw numerous Deers on the forest area adjoining the road. Every second of the drive giving us the feel of the possibility of the presence of wild life. The sound of the dry leaves, dense and dark interiors of the forest when viewed from the road, itself is a treat to eyes and a sense of privilege of being there.

It had been a long days journey to reach Bhojde and was dark evening when we had reached our place of stay. We had our dinners ended the day , having the hopes of a promising , interesting and an adventourous day ahead.

Morning was as pleasant as it could be. The fresh air , cool breeze and the amazing freshness of the morning had already rejuvenated our senses. The booking for the open jeep safari had been done online and now it is completely done online. Tourists planning a visit to Gir , should keep this in mind to avoid disappointment in missing the open jeep safari.

The safari is probably one of the best experiences of Gir, and if lucky you may spot 10 , 15 or even maybe 20 Lions , Lionesses and cubs during the course of the safari. Its very rare though to get a chance to watch a kill. Best part of the safari is getting to watch those magnificient Lions from close quarters and looking them eye to eye. certainly one of the most amazing aspects of the visit to Gir. The Do's and Dont's instructions while on safari would be well explained to the visitors before and during the safari. Its fair and important to maintain silence and keep a check on excitement levels while on the Safari. After all we are in the territory of the King of the jungle, and they have a rule of their own!

After the Safari, in the evening we proceeded towards the JamGir Waterfall , which was about 40 kms from Sasan. Due to less amount of rainfall this year, the locals said the waterfall is not of as much intensity as it used to be at this time of the year. But still , it was good enough and picturesque! After spending an hour or so at the waterfalls, we proceeded back towards Bhojde, and retired for the day.

The next day we decided to drive through the roads of the more interior forest roads e.g Sattardhar, Surva village and a few more. Those drives were amazing, Spotted a huge lioness off  Surva Village. The cacaphony of the others in the car drove away the Lioness !
Numberous deers , Blackbull ( neelguy) were amongst the wildlife that we spotted in our drives.


The Sharp scary silence, mystic colour and the charm of one of the greatest Wildlife destination in the country is indeed worth visiting. Hopefully the governments and the forest departments take care in not allowing private hotels and farms to encroach into the territory of the King!

Next Day was supposed to be our last day in Gir, and we decided to visit the Devaliya national Park.
For those who have missed out on Open jeep safari and also missed out on watching the Lion in its glory, Devaliya National Park would certainly fulfilll it. Its kind of a mini 20 - 20 min safari in a fenced region in a closed bus.

We left Gir , and with us an amazing experience. Attitude of the natural habitat of the king of the jungle  certainly leaves a deep impact on our minds. Gir , is probably the only place in India to have the Lions in their own natural habitat , a species which was once on the risk of being on the verge of extinction about nine decades ago. The king of Junagadh took important measures in protecting the Lions and their habitat. And from less than 120 lions in mid 1920 - 1930's  to about 523 lions in 2015, Gir is probably the best wild life conservation stories in the world , certainly worth a visit..

First Complete denture Camp in Kutch. Kundrodi Village. March 2014

Kutch - Kundrodi Complete Denture programme: The Beginning ..

                                                                   Dr. Rikin. A. Gogri

Greetings !

In the medical world, we always expect to be able to fix our patient’s problems in order to help them have a better life.  This is frequently interrupted by circumstances in the patient’s life that they are unwilling to change or simply cannot fix.  Those circumstances may be economical , social , or lack of facilities around. A visit to the Rural areas of kutch in Gujarat state of india clearly would lead to the observation of all of the above mentioned circumstances.

I feel priviledged and honoured to have been associated with Shri Bidada Sarvodaya Trust and its medical programmes since more than a decade , wherein we have had the opportunity to serve the most needy people in the state of Gujarat. The various activities of the trust have been well known and recognised and appreciated by people , with recognitions from even the President of the nation.

Over the years , there have been 40 annual medical camps and many more smaller monthly , quarterly or half yearly medical and surgical camps conducted by the institution. Thanks to the pioneering efforts of our chairman Shri Bachubhai Rambhia and all other trustees and volunteers associated with our monumental institution.

 According to a informal survey  or observations  we can say that we have over the years, every second geriatric person in kutch has multiple missing teeth and the percentage of people who are completely edentulous is alarmingly high. Not having teeth had a very bad effect on the well being of the individual right from low confidence , social stigma , lack of resources to get their teeth done ,financial crisis , improper food intake , improper digestion and thus a poor quality of life. Thus , this whole concept of conducting a complete denture programme was born so as to offer and give a better quality of life to these individuals.  It indeed seemed to be a herculean task to give a set of complete dentures to each and every individual

participating in the programme and that too in a limited time period. But thanks to the support we always have from our doctors , donors and volunteers , we were able to accomplish our mission and thus a new idea and a new concept was born.

The Programme:

Mr bachubhai rambhia , the chairman of our institute, as always , is supportive of each and every medical event that would benefit the people of kutch. A true role model for generations of doctors and volunteers.

Mr DevchandBhai Furia , Boston , USA has been the strongest pillar of support , and the concept of making dentures for the needy has been his idea and the whole programme has been conducted under his supervision throughout.

Mr Vijaybhai Chheda , the vice chairman of our trust , approved us a go ahead for conducting this landmark event.

Mr Dinesh M Chheda , he supported our programme right from the word go and was instrumental in making all the arrangements done at the base camp in kundrodi.We have been Truly blessed to have such supportive donors.

The Doctors and Volunteers:  the doctors and volunteers have been the heart and strength of our institution and any camp that we conduct or organise , we are always assured of smooth and efficient functioning. I would come to the list of the doctors and volunteers later on in the write up. Volunteers or social workers , what do we say… We're so proud of the women and men who comprise our volunteer pool! After all, they are the keys which make the ignition of our camps function.

 

The programme beginning:

Once the dates for the programme were scheduled and the venue finalised , we sent banners and leaflets in 15 surrounding villagesnear kundrodi  regarding the information about the complete denture programme that was scheduled to be held from 3^rd to 8^th of march.

An initial screening of patients was conducted by the local authorities , e.g , registering the names , address of the patients and mentioning the number of teeth present / missing  or duration of edentulous jaws( since how many years has the patient been without teeth). This helped us calculate and estimate the number of patients that would take the advantage of this project. Some 130 names were registered.

The Team:

The team comprised of 14 Doctors, 4 technicians , 4 volunteers and 2 dental assistants in all , including 2 prosthodontists , 4 senior dentists and 8 junior dentists.

All materials and equipment needed for fabrication of denture , taking various measurements was carried along from Mumbai , and the whole team together departed from Mumbai on the 3^rd of march 2014.

Day 1:

The inauguration of the programme was done by our chairman Shri Bachubhai Rambhia , Shri Vijaybhai Chheda , Shri Devchandbhai Furia and our donor Shri Dinesh M Chheda. The event was covered by almost all the local newspapers.

Primary impressions ( measurements) were taken for dentures

of 60 patients on the first day morning , followed by the final impressions in the afternoon , again followed by the vertical dimensions ( jaw relations) in the evening. It was pleasant and heartening to see all the patients wait till late in the evening without complaining. The team of doctors technicians and volunteers worked till late in the evening about 9.30 before ending the days work. The technicians then prepared the teeth setting and trials of dentures during the night and next day denture try-ins were taken for those 60 patients. It was the month of march and the weather gods weren’t too keen of providing a pleasant temperature. It was bright sunshine throughout and a temperature of around 36 degrees.

Day 2:

This was crazy. 80 new patients lined up for primary impressions and 60 patients of day1 came for their try ins. Was a very long day in office. Tiring but pleasing and satisfying. So by the end of day 2 , we had attended and prepared models and try ins for 140 patients. That itself was very satisfying for all of us. A lovely musical programme was organised by dineshbhai in the night , and after the event , the technicians got back to their job of preparing the try ins of day 2  patients.

 

Day 3:

Try ins and corrections for the previous 140 patients were done , and 25 new patients were also registered and their denture work started. By now , the word of mouth had spread like wild fire , with authorities and people from various places visiting the camp to have a look at the extravaganza that was taking place at kundrodi. Many people requested us for more such camps and their support whenever we conduct these camps.

Day 4:

Final try ins and adjustments and corrections of 165 patients during the day was done. Another striking and interesting thing that happened on day 4 was… that we received 65 new names of patients who wanted to register themselves and get their dentures prepared. Their names were registered and the patients were given assurances that they would be attended In the next camp that would be conducted in the month of august. By now , many newspapers carried over stories in their dailies , local politicans and authorities from neighbouring villages visited and saw the work that we had done in the past 3 days.

A few patients , had tears in their eyes , for they had never imagined that they would ever get dentures , they had never imagined that they would be able to eat properly , they had never imagined that they would smile again, the feel good factor was amazing and we signed off from kundrodi with a lot of memories with us.

Denture Delivery:

On reaching Mumbai , we processed and fabricated the denture try ins that we had brought and the dentures were ready to be delivered. Another team of 3 dentists , 1 technician and 2 volunteers went back for kundrodi to deliver the dentures to those 165 patients , witnessing the greatest of the great soul pleasing smiles that one would ever come across.

The pictures themselves tell the story.

We are looking forward to many more such programmes in kutch , one of which is planned in the month of august.

It was one of the great moments for the people of kutch , the doctors participating , the self less  service rendered by the volunteers and incredible hard work for the technicians who toiled day and night to make those patients smile better…again.

As Far as the junior doctors are concerned , they said that they learnt more in this programme than they could have managed in their dental school , because here , they treated patients of all different varieties, different psyche and a different level of understanding. From easy cases to complicated ones. That made it icing on the cake for them.

We hope that this programme continues for a long period of time , we look forward to conducting 2 such denture camps annually  and ofcourse serve the mankind in every possible way we can. We specially thank our trustees , donors and all the support staff for their cooperation.

Hope to scale more landmarks and make everyone smile…with a new set of teeth.. a smile that would come straight from the heart… Thank you.

 

Jain temple tour of Palanpur Taranga route

Gujarat and Rajasthan have innumerous ancient jain temples of historic importance as well as immense faith amongst followers of Jainism.
Having done a lot of travel touring and worshipping some of the most magnificient and incredible jain shrines all around I decided to pen my trip through this Palanpur Taranga route. It might help others as well who might be planning a religious pilgrimage tour in this route.

The districts of Sabarkantha, Patan , Mehsana and Ahmedabad city have a huge huge count of ancient jain temples and awe striking idols of tirthankars. Most of the idols being installed by king Samprati. And the temples have undergone a series of renovations ( jirnoddhar) in the due course of time over the past 2500 years.

The closest and convenient place to alight from train or via flight is Ahmedabad. A vehicle can be arranged from Ahmedabad.

We planned the route in the following sequence.

Ahmedabad - mehsana (breakfast) - palanpur - valam ( night halt )- Visnagar - Siddhpur - vadnagar - valam ( night halt) - Taranga - (night halt can be taken here as well if available) - Ahmedabad.

After alighting at Ahmedabad at about 6 am in the morning , we directly drove towards palanpur on the highway via Mehsana. The route to Palanpur is via Mehsana - Unjha  - Siddhpur. Each of the places in the route have jain temples , dharamshalas and bhojanalayas.
We had our breakfast at Mehsana , in the Bhojanalay of Mehsana tirth ( Shri Simandhar Swami bhagwan)
Palanpur is an ancient city and the temple of Shri Pallaviya Parshwanath is considered to be very miraculous and soothing. We had planned to directly drive to Palanpur so as to be able to feel blessed by doing seva puja in the Pallaviya Parshwanath Jinalay.
There are two dharamshalas which have now been very well renovated and very good for stay.
The food in the bhojanalay of these dharamashalas is certainly to the mark.

After our seva pooja and lunch in Palanpur , we went to Juna Deesa which is approximately 40 kms from Palanpur to seek blessings of param pujya Acharya shrimad Vijay Yasho Vijayji maharaj saheb.

From Juna Deesa , we drove back via the same highway towards Valam. Valam is situated 16 kms from Unjha.  While there are other dharamshalas and places to stay like the bhramanwada tirth ( shri ajit shanti tirth ) , we chose the silent and serene atmosphere and rural charm of Valam.
Old and New dharamshalas here too have been renovated and it makes the stay a perfect feel of Interior Gujarat rural area.
Shri Neminath Bhagwan is the mulnayak of Valam tirth.
The idol of Shri Neminath Bhagwan in Valam is also very ancient. One can feel the holiness of the place while doing Ashtaprakari puja of the 22nd Tirthankar Shri Neminath Bhagwan.

Places of Visnagar and Vadnagar are in Close proximity to Valam.
Shri kalyan Parshwanath Bhagwan is the mulnayak of Shri Visnagar tirth ( kadaa road). The absence of dharamshala in visnagar makes devotees skip seva puja many a times in this place. Though there are open spaces in the premises where bathing and changing can be done.

After seva puja at Visnagar , we drove to Siddhpur , to get darshan of Shri Sultan Parshwanath, another miraculous idol , historicity of all these places can be obtained from various jain tirth sites.
The Idol of Shri Sultan Parshwanath Bhagwan has been shifted to a new premises located near Sujanpur patiya, 7 kms from Sidhhpur on the Siddhpur - Palanpur road.
In the city of Siddhpur , we took darshan of an ancient jain temple of Shri ChandraPrabhu swami.
Dinner can be taken at any of the restaurants on the Palanpur - Unjha road.
We then drove back to our night stay halt at Valam.

Next morning , we left for Shri Taranga Tirth via Kheralu.

The positivity , divinity , serenity and holiness of the places makes one feel blessed.

Mulnayak Shri Ajitnath Bhagwan, in his own life size image. No words can effectively and completely describe the joy and happiness one gets after worshipping Bhagwan Ajitnath. So truly the lines of a Stavan say - Pritaladi Bandhaani re.. Ajit jinanada jo........

The Drive to Ahmedabad is via Himmatnagar.

One can visit Tirths like Aglod and vijapur on the way to Ahmedabad.

I shall mention Tirths in Ahmedabad in my next blog.
I hope this blog is useful for a first time visitor to these places...

Jai jinendra . jai Ajitnath , jai parshwanath...
 

Must visit places in KUTCH

I have been getting a lot of phone calls and messages about people asking what are the must visit places in Kutch. And this is while everyone is being planning their visit to the now famous Rann Utsav in the white rann of kutch.

Being a dry climatic region, inadequate rainfalls year after years adds up to the dry climates throughout the year. December to February is considered the best and the most pleasant time to visit the incredible land of the White Rann.

The two major railway stations connecting Kutch to the rest of the country are
1. Gandhidham
2. Bhuj.
 And Bhuj being the airport as well.

There are numerous hotels to stay in Gandhidham as well as Bhuj.

Those coming on their trip to kutch for atleast 4 days can visit the following places

1. Narayan sarovar .
2. Koteshwar Mahadev temple. ( Do attend the morning Aarti) view from the temple above is amazing. You can call it santorini of Kutch.
3. Lakhpat fort. Its a very ancient village located alongside the Rann. There is a UNESCO mentioned Gurudwara inside the fort, as well as tomb of a sufi saint Gosh mohammad.
4. Haji peer dargah
5. Mata Na madh ( the temple of Maa Aashapura)
6. 72 jinalay tirth (jain temples)
7. Tropic of Cancer ( passes through the road between villages Netra and Vithon)
8. White Rann - Dhordo
9. Siyot caves
10. Guneri caves
11. Vijay Vilas Palace
12. Prag Mahal palace
13. Aaina mahal
14. Pingleshwar mahadev
15. Karo Doongar
16. Mandvi Beach
17. Shopping at  Mandvi , Bhuj , Mundra and Gandhidham.
18. Jain temples at Naliya, Kothara, Suthri , Sanjan , Jakhau ,Tera , Vanki , Donn , Bhadreshwar.
19. Bird Watching Along the long roads of Abdasa taluka
20. India bridge at village Khavda
21. handicrafts made by women folk in Village Nirona
22. Taste Kutchi food like - Daabeli , Pakwan
23. Jakh bahutera ( Mota yaksh) temple
24. Aiyu mata mandir.
25. Dam outside village Godhra.
26. GIDC artificial lake near Vayor
27. The Harappa & Mohenjadro civilisation sites - DHOLAVIRA.

There is a lot to see and a lot to do in Kutch.
Finding a place to stay for a night halt is not difficult. Whilst in the interiors of kutch, the many pilgrimage places and temples have their own wonderful Dharamshalas with all the facilities.
You need to hire a car for your entire visit if at all you would want to visit the above mentioned places and do not want to miss out on anything.
 Experience it to know more , I am sure you would fall in love with this quiet, serene and extravagant place on the westernmost border of the country.


 

The kutch complete denture camp

Shri Bidada Sarvodaya Trust, is a charitable organisation located in the village Bidada, Taluka-  Mandvi. It has been involved with and conducted hundreds and hundreds of medical treatment camps wherein free treatment is provided to the rural poor and needy people who have been under privileged and haven't had the access to quality medical care.
Since its establishment in the 1970 's there have been always an annual mega camp conducted of all faculties, doctors from mumbai and even abroad come here for a social cause. The volunteers always have their days marked in the calender for this mega event. Its now become a part of life for all of us who have been  visiting this magnificient institue. The Cataract camp and the dental camp have been the hallmark of this camp, where in our doctors and volunteers go door to door, village to village to offer their medical services.
Our source of inspiration, The former chairman of the trust Shri Bachubhai Rambhia, who has been a pioneer in establishment of this hospital and institute, though no more in this world, showers his blessings on us from right up there!
Coming back to the topic of the blog, I have been a part of this humanitarian extravaganza since 2002. In 2014 , we decided to start another project, providing complete dentures to the people who would never themselves can get it done, mostly due to financial restraint or inavailabilty of services in those rural areas. The place selected for this project was village kundrodi in mundra taluka of kutch district. It is approximately 45 kms from the nearest railway station Gandhidham.
Earlier we had done one such project of a smaller magnitude for Jan seva Foundation trust, in their old age home in village Ambi. So, setting up and planning a similar kind was never a mammoth task.. that was what we thought.. untill the day registration of the patients for the camp started. In the first day of registration, we got as many as 110 registered patients.
March 2014.
We had a team of 15 dentists, 2 post graduate residents from karad, 5 technicians, 2 dental assistants, and 5 volunteers. The registration of patients went up to 165. We had 4 working days to complete the try in of the complete denture sets of registered patients.
Day 1.
We began at 9 am. Patient allotment to all the dentists was done. first batch of 18 patients taken for the first step of denture fabrication-  primary impression. It is a time consuming procedure for beginners as well as due to working environment where we did not have a dental set up. So it took a bit longer than usual. After the primary impressions, the patients were made to wait in the makeshift pendal. And second batch of patients calles for the same. We did primary Impressions for 66 patients on day1. By afternoon 3.30 pm, the final impression trays were ready and one by one the patients called for recording their final impressions on the special trays made on the basis of the primary impressions. The technicians had a tough time getting things ready and also because we wanted to complete the third step called Jaw relations of all the 66 patients on day1. For the doctors and patients, the day ended at about 10 pm while the technicians had to work for almost till dawn doing the teeth set up for the patients whose JR was been completed.
Day 2 Another 60 patients were started and similar procedure followed till the thirs step of denture procedure.
Day 3 was a chaos since more and more people started pouring in for getting their dentures made. we took a last batch of some 40 patients and registered another 80 with the assurance of conducting a similar camp very soon.
Day 4 : The remaining work of previous days was done and one by one the patients were called for the trials of their dentures.
For those patients who had lost their teeth long back, and had never dreamt of getting them done, the sight of the denture trails in their mouth, their sparkling smile and the happiness on their faces gave many a emotional moment to all the participants of the camp.
Shall upload the pictures of the Camp in my next post soon.
A few people do need special mention here :
Shri Bachubhai Rambhia,  Chairman of our trust.
Shri Vijay  Chheda, the then Vice chairman
Shri Devchandbhai Furia, Camp Coordinator
Shri Dineshbhai Chheda-  donor of the camp
Shri Sharadbhai Rambhia- Trustee and our supporter as he has always been
The local media.
The doctors who were the soul of our project
Dr Priya Jhala
Dr Vishal Kale
Dr Pinky Mathur
Dr Darshika Gandhi
Dr khyati Shah
Dr Karishma Rohra
Dr Riddhi Shah
Dr Jini Shah
Dr Ritu Shenoy
Dr Charmi Gala
Dr Zarna Gala
Technicians-  Mr Ratnakar Suvarna and his team.
The dentures were delivered to the patient after 10 days. Soon a second camp was planned and it was organised at the same venue in August, And in August we did a staggering 270 complete dentures.
We hope to continue our medical social work for the benefit of the under priviledged sections of the society.
Thank you.
-Dr Rikin Gogri.