Dr B S Ajaikumar had two audacious goals – one to bring latest medical treatment to treat cancer patients of India and the other is to participate in India’s development by getting involved in politics. While he has accomplished the first, he is yet to advance towards his second goal.
The Book Titled Excellence has no borders by Dr B S Ajaikumar can be reviewed for different sets of readers – medical practitioners, management students, economists, sociologists and, finally, for others with no special interest. In this article, I focus on the last group to shed light on the human side of his story.
Inspired by swami vivekananda…
It was Swami Vivekananda who famously exhorted educated Indians with a call: “so long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold
every person a traitor who, having been educated at their expense pays not the least heed to them.” How many Indians who have been educated in India and gone abroad and got rich there are inspired by this exhortation?
So it is refreshing to find one in Ajai. Ever since he landed in the US in 1975, Ajai was thinking on how he could return to India to serve his homeland.
22 cancer centres in india, africa…
Hailing from ordinary roots, landing in the US, with the proverbial eight dollars, getting residency at the very last moment at radiation oncology department of the University of Virginia, finally completing the fellowship at the prestigious of M D Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Ajai started to dream of returning to India. He got into private practice in the small town of Burlington, Iowa. He succeeded in establishing a non-profit cancer hospital in Mysuru in 1989. Today he is the Chairman of a publicly held HealthCare Global which has 22
cancer centres in different cities of India and one in Africa.
Ajai has disproved the long held view of most Indians, that it was impossible to build and manage any institution without bribing.
A touching incidence which took place high on the Himalayas: Ajai went hiking with his wife. His Nepali helper, a youth died suddenly because of a strange illness. In his words, “Aan Pasang was alive one moment and the next it was as though he had never existed.” Ajai and his wife went out of their way to help Pasang’s family financially.
Political ambition too…
Ajai had two audacious goals – one to bring latest medical treatment to help cancer patients of India and the other is to promote India’s development by getting involved in politics. While he is accomplished the first, he is yet to reach his second goal.
He is already working on the second. He has started the International Human Development and Upliftment Academy to help a 15000 women self-help group, “Antardhwani” to promote India’s development and a school with good infrastructure to produce
professionals. – Bhamy V Shenoy
