It was 1943, when Dr. R. H. Kulkarni was a young doctor based in Hubli. When he was 22, Dr. Kulkarni got a job in a hospital in Chandgarh village near the Maharashtra-Karnataka border. The village was sparsely populated and surrounded by dense forest.
It was the month of July. On a stormy night with heavy rains, Dr Kulkarni was reading a book. Suddenly, he heard a loud knock on the door of his house. He wondered who could it be at this time of the night. With a tinge of fear in his heart, he opened the door. On opening the door he saw four men wrapped in woolen clothes with sticks in their hands. They called to the doctor in Marathi, "Take your bag and join us quickly."
The doctor thought he could not oppose them, so he quietly took his bag and went with them. Afraid, he asked, "Where are you taking me?" When he did not receive an answer, he sat silently. After an hour and a half, the car stopped.
There was darkness all around. The men with the sticks got the doctor out of the car and brought him to a kaccha house. One of the rooms was lit by a lantern, and a pregnant woman was lying on a cot. An old woman sat next to it. Looking at this scene, the doctor was shaken from inside and was unable to understand what was happening. At this point, he was informed that he had been brought to deliver the child.
Seeing that girl moaning in pain, the doctor's heart melted. Although he had never delivered before, he determined that he would definitely help this girl in that stormy night, and asked her, "Who are you? How did you get here?"
"Doctor, I don't want to live," the girl said in a painful voice. She narrated her ordeal, saying, "I am the daughter of a big landowner here."
She further said, "Since there were no high schools in our village, my parents sent me to a distant city to study. I fell in love with a classmate...and got pregnant. When I found out, I immediately told the boy. But he left me and ran away. By the time my parents found out, it was too late. That's why they sent me here, so that no one comes to know about it." The girl started crying loudly as she completed her story.
Dr. Kulkarni started preparing for the delivery. With his efforts, the woman gave birth to a girl child, but the child did not cry. When the young woman realised this, she started saying, "it's a daughter! let her die or else she will also have to live an unfortunate life like me."
But Dr. Kulkarni still tried his best to save the baby girl, and after his consistent efforts, the child cried. When the doctor left the room after the delivery, he was given 100 rupees, which was a large sum of money at the time. Doctor Kulkarni was then earning a monthly salary of ₹75. After taking the fee, the doctor realized he had forgotten his bag in the room. On the pretext of taking the bag, Doctor Kulkarni once again went to that room and put the 100 rupees on the girl's hand, telling her, "Joy and sorrow are beyond a human's grasp, sister, but you can forget everything and take care of yourself and this little life. When you are able to travel, then go to the Nursing College in Pune. There I have a friend named Mr. Apte. Go and meet him and tell him that Dr. R. H. Kulkarni has sent you. He will definitely help you. Think of it as a brother's request. Right now, I won't be able to do anything more for you." He placed his hand on her head and left.
Years passed since this incident. Dr. R. H. Kulkarni later became specialized in female obstetrics. Once, he went to Aurangabad to attend a medical conference and was deeply impressed by an exuberant and brilliant doctor, Dr. Chandra's speech. During the same program, someone called Dr. Kulkarni by his name, and Dr. Chandra's attention was drawn towards him. She went right up to him and asked him, "Sir, have you ever been to Chandgarh?"
Dr. Kulkarni: "Yes, I have, but that was years ago."
Dr. Chandra: "Then you need to come to my house."
Dr. Kulkarni: "Dr. Chandra, I have met you for the first time today. I thoroughly enjoyed your speech, and I appreciate your knowledge and research. But I won't be able to join you today. I will surely come some other time."
But Dr. Chandra insisted, "Sir, please come with me for a little while today, I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life." Dr. Kulkarni could not refuse Dr. Chandra's loving invitation. Finally, Dr. Chandra took Dr. Kulkarni along, reached her house and called out, "Maa, look who has come to our house!"
Dr. Chandra's mother came out and on seeing Dr. Kulkarni in front of her, at first she could not believe her eyes. Her eyes filled with tears, and she somehow held herself together, bowed to him and fell at his feet.
Doctor Kulkarni was confused and panicked. But before he could comprehend anything, she recalled the old story and said: "Doctor, I am the same girl who you helped in the middle of the night in the village near Chandgarh, while i was in labour pain. Then I went to Pune and became a staff nurse as you advised.
I encouraged my daughter to study a lot and made her a gynaecologist considering you as an ideal. My daughter Chandra is the one who was born at your hands that night."
He was immensely surprised to hear all this and was very happy. He asked Chandra, "But how did you recognize me?"
Dr. Chandra said, "I recognized you by your name, Sir. I have heard my mother chanting your name all the time."
In awe, Dr. Chandra's mother said, "Sir, your name is Ramchandra. From that same name, I have given my daughter her name, Chandra. You've given us a wonderful new life. Chandra also considers you an ideal and helps poor women by giving them free treatments."
Dr. R. H. Kulkarni was the father of the prominent social worker, renowned writer and Infosys chairperson, Sudha Murthy.
Sometimes a little motivation and encouragement is enough to get people to their goals. Share your plenty with those who cannot afford it. Generosity is our natural condition.
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