Dharamshala: Abode Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama In The Foothills Of Kangra Valley, India

Blog number 8 nguptatravelscrapbook.blogspot.com.     14.11.2020 

Dharamshala:abode of His Holiness The Dalai Lama in the foothills of Kangra VAlley, India

It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and for others, by The Holy Dalai Lama.

COVID-19 status: Pfizer & BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine: Is it the breakthrough we've been hoping for? Dated 09/11/2020.

Dharamshala

Dhauladhar mountain range in Kangra Valley, India

An account of my voluntary medical work in Dharamshala and around:

I graduated as a medical doctor in 1976 from University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) attaining my MBBS degree from Delhi University in 1978. The same year I left for the UK to join my husband, Dr Vinod Gupta FRCS, FRCOphth, a practising Ophthalmologist in London. I had completed a six-month house officer job in Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi,  with a minimal clinical experience in India. I trudged on to the primary goals of raising a family, achieving post-graduate credentials and nurturing higher surgical aptitudes and expertise in Obstetrics and Gynaecology here in the UK. I did not practise medicine in India for nearly three decades since I left India in 1978.

A voluntary medical work recourse came my path thru social networking, which was a God sent blessing for me. At the much-desired juncture in my career, I eagerly accepted to arrange a voluntary medical work near Dharamshala, India, as I longed to return some of my professional expertise to my homeland. Though, I had some lingering anxiety to work in a rural setting in India. In the backdrop, thankfully, I am used to the chaotic buzz of India along with the lifestyle it offers, as I have been lucky to visit my Delhi based family, frequently since 1980 and have travelled extensively across India during these visits.

My first opportunity for voluntary work was with Nishtha Rural Health & environment Centre and Jagori Grameen, Rakkar, Sidhbari, Dharamshala, in August 2007. Since then, I had a few more opportunities to offer my voluntary services with the same foundation and trust in successive years. I was lucky to organise three charity events here in the UK, to raise awareness about  Nishtha and Jagori trust and to raise funds for their causes. 

Upthrust areas of the programmes of this foundation are Healthcare, Education and Women Empowerment. It enables the have nots to access the resources for a change in their lives, however minimal it may be, with the lowest of finances available for these noble causes. There are several NGOs associated with Nishtha and Jagori using local key workers and utilising the local resources in the most confined manner. 

Dr Barbara Nath (from Austria) is the founding member of this clinic who does a remarkable job of raising funds abroad in Austria, where she travels at least twice a year.

What did I do at Nishtha and Jagori Foundation, Rakkar, Sidhbari, Dharamshala?

My work involved in a multifold manner communicating with the local doctors, para-clinical staff, key workers and outreach health staff while moderating various health workshops, rural camps and health fairs organised by the team while I was there.

In the following paragraphs, I have briefly enlisted and described these tasks.

Daily Clinic sessions at Nishtha clinic:

Nishtha Clinic

Nishtha clinic

Girl Monks attending the clinic

Clinic set up

It bases clinics at Nishtha Rural trust in Rakkar, Sidhbari, Dharamshala. This clinic premises are owned by Austrian trained Dr Barbara Nath, who has dedicated her life to the uplift of the rural population of Dharamshala and around. Here I liaised with her and executed clinics twice a day, where the walk-in patients are accepted for reviews (new and old patients). I found these sessions very fulfilling as most of my patients were women and young girls with their health issues which they found very difficult to even relate to their family members. I enjoyed chatting with them while coaxing out their underlining problems and misgivings. 

I could screen two women with cervical growths and mediated their referrals to the local district hospital named Delek Hospital. Similarly, there were three women detected with breast lumps during routine physical examinations by me who I referred to the same facility. Examining an antenatal patient, explaining to her the importance of good nutrition and regular checkups, was much accepted by these patients. I came across many cases of uterovaginal prolapse and could fit them with a ring pessary as a symptomatic treatment. Apart from the indigenous population of Kangra tribe, there is an increasing population of Tibetan refugees and monks who are very receptive to health care provided to them.

The other health issues about were the upper respiratory tract infections, chest infections, urinary problems, multiple skin conditions, joint pains; all the usual entity that comes across a general Practitioner's way. I realised that majority of the patients were not keen to take any prescribed medications. I contented them with straightforward advice, explanations, and if any mild herbal remedies were available locally.

This strategy differed with Tibetan women and young girls who make a significant part of the local population there. They were responsive to treatment needed in the form of medicines, including a sizable acceptance of contraceptive measures, comprising the pills. It was an observable difference for me. I saw many young girls monks from the neighbouring monasteries coming to attend the clinics. They were very shy, restrictive to open up and relatively unschooled with a very little formal education received by them. I understood that these girls live in monkhood status for approx two years, followed by an open path chosen by them if desired.

At Nishtha clinic, there is provision for a few inpatient beds where I treated a woman with postpartum bleeding, etc.

Home visits:

A communal meal in the local village 

I attended a few home deliveries in the area; I took the help of Nishtha van driver for my transportation to and from the patient's home. 

One day Dr Barbara took us to a nearby village by walking, where we had a communal lunch, sitting on the floor and food served on a leaf platter. I enjoyed this scene but found it awkward to eat running curies with my fingers! But I managed and relished it all too well with unfaded memories drawn back with me.

Fields Visits :

I attended field visits in Sidhbari area, to educate villagers (mainly women and young girls) thru a general and friendly talk. That allowed me to communicate with the village communities who do not come to workshops, camps or the clinics. Jagori Grameen holds regular demo sessions and awareness meetings with the women and men farmers on different aspects of sustainable organic agricultural practices. During these sessions, they always fed us with locally produced dishes in their kitchen for our lunches.

Women's Wellbeing Week: 

Women camp week, workshops, etc. 

Nishtha and Jagori Grameen jointly organised this week while I was there in 2010. I promoted this week along with Dr Barbara Nath, of Nishtha Trust. The primary aim was to address women's gynaecological, reproductive and general health needs. Integrally, there was a particular focus on health awareness and health education.  

Health Camps and Fairs: 

Nearly two hundred women from very remote areas (Rait, Nagrota, Hamirpur and Chamba, to name a few) and low households attended the camp. Because of age-old patriarchal neglect of women's health by the family and the health care system, women do not treat their health problems with the enormity and the short- and long-term attention they deserve. The rural women have an excessive physical responsibility of farming work in the fields along with routine household commitments contributing to their overall health neglect. We included talks and demonstration of oral contraceptives, management of unwanted pregnancy, antenatal and postnatal care, healthy food choices, drinking safe water, vaccinations, regular child health checkup, etc. Fairs gave access to women to ask questions and to receive much-needed information on issues related to their physical and gynaecological health.

Workshops and Training:

Community centre in Nishtha complex

They offered local accommodations and food for three days' duration of workshops to the participants. I volunteered myself to take a few healths-related classes with these people. In one such seminar, college girls had arrived from a village to learn about computers and attended arts and crafts classes held by professionals. There was a class of pottery in the nearby town where these girls had hands-on experience of the pottery art.

From Lt to Rt: Jeremy Russell, Phillipa Russell, Didi Contractor, Dr Barbara Nath

As I travelled across the Kangra Valley in my free times,  I came across many foreigners who have not just made Dharamshala, their home but have gone to the extent of learning Hindi and the local Gaddi dialect. They carry on with their reforming projects for the empowerment and resolves of the local people while addressing the general ecological issues here. I familiarised myself with Phillipa Russell being there since 1981 when came to learn Buddhism in Dharamshala. She established the initial setup of Nishtha rural development and worked tirelessly along with her husband Jeremy Russell, who is an English translator for His Holiness The Dalai Lama. In the words of Dr Barbara Nath-Wiser, Phillipa Russell is the 'Iron Lady of Nishtha'.

Didi Contractor is a well known innovative architect who utilises building material including Mud, Bamboo and stone to create environmentally friendly buildings in the area. The present Nishtha clinic set up was designed by the same providing a field for the clinic, dispensary, and the multiple zones to provide social care. These facilities include a computer learning centre, arts and crafts rooms, sewing room, yoga and meditation room, bread baking facilities in the wood-fired ovens, and a treatment room for the patients. Other ancillary programmes to reach out to most vulnerable, most impoverished and deprived children of the area and as per needs of the communities, the Nishtha provides drinking water, hand washbasins, school toilets, school meals as needed. 

Pharmacy and filing of patient's notes at Nishtha clinic 

The clinic started keeping patients' notes from 1998 onwards. There is a poorly stocked pharmacy based on drug samples received providing free medicines as needed. They issue the treatment only for a day or two, to begin with, to ensure a patient's return for a follow-up.

Suresh is an excellent clinical assistant and a pharmacist in charge of the production of various herbal remedies, including few ointments and a cough linctus produced locally from herbs.

Dispensary at Nishtha

The most loved Hindu festival, Diwali, is here! From lights, delicious sweets and gifts, the festival is all about spreading happiness. I wish all my blog readers a very Happy Diwali.

Lighted diyas

Traditional and Delicious food on Diwali, including sweets, prepared by two beautiful girls in my life, Ruchika, my daughter and Sera Park, my daughter-in-law. Dishes named from Lt to Rt clockwise, Kheer, Typical Thali, Barfi with silver foil, the famous Korean sweet Yaksik and Sandesh (a traditional Bengali sweet). 

Sightseeing on my own or with Dr Barbara Nath

I am very grateful to Dr Barbara who took me around to famous ''Must Do'' in Dharamshala and around including some distant places reached on my own. 

In my next blog, I plan to write chronicles about these famous places, including a visit to the Abode of His Holiness The  Dalai Lama and a glimpse of Richard Gere Foundation work in McLeod Ganj helmet.