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The Genesis of ‘Life’ – A Flashback
The story of Saurashtra Medical & Educational Charitable Trust (SMECT) and the birth of Rajkot Voluntary Blood Bank (RVBB) is truly the beginning of an epoch.
Neil Armstrong while setting foot on the moon for the first time had said, “That’s a small step for man- one giant leap for mankind “. The journey of man landing on moon was a culmination of many years of labour and hard work. Project ‘Life’ too is a story of determination and guts. Only a firm determination, faith in the Almighty and Rs. 101/- is all that the two brothers had with them when they embarked on a journey that few would dare to take up.
In the late 70’s when the medical facilities in Rajkot and Saurashtra region were not so advanced and people had to go to faraway places like Ahmedabad for the best possible treatment, availability of safe and quality blood was a rare possibility and only the rich and famous or the well connected could afford that luxury.
It all began when the two Koticha brothers Shashikant and Chandrakant who lost their father at a very tender age of 4 and 6 respectively had to fend for themselves through odd jobs. Their widowed mother trained herself to be a teacher and toiled day and night to keep the family together and bring up the two young children. It was nothing but a struggle for survival.
When a woman is widowed at the age of 22, any ordinary mortal would have given up and embraced death, since the 40’s were not the days when a widowed woman could stand up and fight for her rights or her livelihood. However fate willed it otherwise. The community sponsored her and helped her to go through the teachers training course and empower herself to feed the young mouths to keep their body and soul together.
Not knowing what destiny had in store for them the two brothers with their mother standing behind them like a rock worked at a cycle shop and then at a bookstore while still pursuing their studies. As the tender age of 13 and 11 respectively, they realized that though they did not have the luxuries to life they definitely had the luxury to dream. They dreamt big and knew that though times do not last but tough people do.
After his graduation while the elder brother Shashikant worked as a clerk in a Bank, the younger brother Chandrakant, who was pursuing his career in Chattered Accountancy ,worked in the clerical section at Rajkumar College. For both the brothers, who had seen poverty from close quarters, the new found income was definitely a luxury. They knew that they did not have much money but they definitely had the courage to challenge the world.
It is said that God helps those who help themselves. He brings in people to situations and makes opportunities pop up, which if we see His larger plans can be used for the betterment of our life and that of the society, too. One such opportunity knocked at their doors in the 70’s during the tough License Raj and bureaucratic days when India had not yet opened up to the world and was not as globally connected as it is today. An NRI who could not take his Indian Rupees abroad deposited a sum of Rs. 10,000/- with the elder brother. He had known him as a reliable and an honest employee of the Bank wherein he had a bank account.
In today’s comparison though it was a small sum, it was definitely a princely sum in the 70’s when a rupee could buy many things. This was an unforgettable opportunity that became the turning point and changed the course of their life forever.
The brothers like any other enterprising pair lent the money to a needy friend for a period of three months, on a monthly interest prevailing in those times. For the two brothers each rupee meant a step ahead in their path of success. They did not rest or stop thinking about the future just by lending the money and earn the monthly interest. They worked hard to tread the path that is less travelled. For many people what could have been a threat, the Koticha brothers worked overtime to convert it into an opportunity.
Now they knew they had the seed capital and more importantly they also had the determination and the courage as they had a ready role model in their own mother who embodied these virtues and did all that she could to ensure that her children got the best despite the limitations. All that they wanted was to succeed and it is said that nothing succeeds like success.
They had many ideas, many plans and many dreams but it was important that they had to be grounded in reality. They wanted to do something different but at the same time they had to limit themselves to the limited capital that they possessed.
Then came the great day when they met Popatbhai, the owner of Ramnarayan Foundry at Rajkot. Rajkot which for decades has been considered as the Mini-Japan of India, had many foundries and their contact with Ramnarayan Foundry brought out the bright spark that lighted their path and today is glows bright with a turnover of hundreds of crores. Popatbhai suggested to the brothers to start an ancillary business and be the middlemen to provide finished products to the foundry. The brothers did exactly as suggested and at the end of the year they had a turnover of Rs. 54,000/-.
When the NRI returned after 2 years all that he had expected was the prevailing bank interest and was shocked to see the brothers return him much more than expected. In the friendly argument that ensued, the NRI who was more than pleased to see that his money was put to good use, agreed to be a sleeping partner in their business and Jayshree Traders was born. Today this business enterprise is known as Jayshree Vyapar Limited , a leading business house in Rajkot.
The two brothers, who had seen hard days and experienced harsh realities, did not forget their roots and their days of struggle in their younger days. They wanted to give back to the society in whatever way they could, to help that in need. The business was growing and so were the distributorships. In the midst of it all, in 1978, the two brothers, 34 and 33 years respectively, registered a Trust called ‘Saurashtra Medical and Educational Charitable Trust’ (SMECT) with an aim to help the needy and downtrodden in their hour of need.
Every name has a history and along with it has its own mystery. SMECT, too, has its roots in the struggling days of these two young brothers. Due to lack of finance, they could not get an access to the best of education and they knew that their Trust should be able to reach out to millions of rural children to help them get educated and come up in life. They wanted to make sure that the poor rural children should not go through what they had to. These children had to be given a helping hand and be lead to those great heights where they would be in a position to shine and bloom wherever they are planted.
Though by then the brothers had prospered, one memory that lingered over the years was always painful and unforgettable - The death of their father at a young age of 25 and widowing of their mother at the tender age of 22. At the impressionable age of four and five years old respectively, all that they had heard from their mother was that their father had died due to lack of medical facilities. They did not want the same to be repeated in the case of others. Hence they wanted their Trust to reach out to those who were in the need of medical care so that they got the best of treatment with the best of equipments.
Life has always been the best teacher. There was another incident that taught the brothers an important lesson in life. Any life saving material can also become a life threatening one, if not properly used or taken care of. In 1981, when an acquaintance was given the blood transfusion and overheard the doctors discussing that he might die of a transfusion reaction, he realized that it was better to die in peace rather than die with needles around. After all, he had to die and he thought that the blood transfusion exercise for him was a futile one.
Being aware that not much time was left for him in this world, against all the medical advices; he pulled out the syringe and was waiting for his untimely death. But that was not to be. Destiny had something else in store for him. As the time passed he realized that he was on his path to recovery. None, including the doctors had realized that the man was on the verge of death not due to his sickness per se but due to the contaminated and unsafe blood. The man recovered fully and now is leading a normal life.
However this incident triggered the spark amongst the brothers in the minds of these two kind enthusiasts. If the blood can make, it can also break. Then why not start a blood bank that would provide safe and quality blood to everyone in need? It seemed just like a dream back then. It was like dreaming about the moon or a car driver attempting to run a railway engine. There are some who cannot rest until they embark upon a path that is less travelled. The world is full of such examples, be it is Columbus or Marco Polo. They had an urge to discover the unknown lands and a passion to do something different. The Koticha brothers no doubt had the passion and the will to succeed but being from the non-medical field they knew they had many limitations.
God has his own ways of bringing much needed solace to people. Many a times he chooses and uses people who in the eyes of the world may seem to be unworthy of the task. The Koticha brothers did not come from a family of doctors nor were they acquainted with any doctors at that time. All that they had was some money- to be exact Rs. 4 lacs and a strong will to succeed.
They knew that they had to start a blood bank but they did not know how. They contacted everyone they knew and as luck would have it they got the right contact. That contact was none other than Ms. Leela Moolgoakar of the Tata family. By now since the business had grown manifold, the brothers had bagged the distributorship of Tata Chemicals and this Tata contact became their savior. Ms. Leela Moolgoakar, who is fondly known as the Mother Theresa of Blood Banking, was kind enough to grant an appointment to the Koticha brothers. Since the elder brother was a business wizard and the younger brother a social wizard, the responsibility of handling the public contact fell on the younger brother, who was 37 then.
With the trepidation, the young Koticha landed in Mumbai with just bare hands. All that he had was burning passion to start a blood bank and Rs. 4 lacs in the bank. He met Ms. Moolgoakar and the visionary lady saw, in this young man, a burning fire, that could engulf any difficulty or any other obstacle. Despite the lack of medical background and for that matter medical know how to start a blood bank; she agreed to go an extra mile and do everything possible within her capacity to readily help this young man who was positively obsessed with the concept of starting a blood bank. From the working point of view it was a ‘foolish’ decision to entrust the establishment of a blood bank to someone who only knew the spelling of blood but not its intricacies. But the perseverance of this man paid off. He was willing to learn and learn more. Here was a man who did not want to be cowed down with obstacles. His vision was crystal clear and knew that he had a mission to accomplish.
Then began the close association between Mrs. Moolgoakar, who agreed to be the Chairman of this new dream and thus an institution namely Rajkot Voluntary Blood Bank (RVBB) that followed the ideology of the TATA Blood Bank was born. She directed her best brains to help in this new venture and today RVBB has grown manifold and is saving hundreds and thousands of lives. A small seed that was sown had the capabilities to grow into this huge tree and hence in into a shelter for many. Similarly SMECT and RVBB have grown much and are in a unique position to reach out to hundreds and thousands of people in need who are aspiring to rise higher in life.
It is said that when we walk for the first time through the jungle we have to walk through thickets, thorns and stones. As years go by, the path becomes smoother and it is easy for others to follow. The Koticha brothers took the path that was tough and full of thorns. Today that path has become a broad road where many can travel to avail many of the services rendered by SMECT and IMSRF. The thorny bushes have bloomed and the sweet fragrance that they emanate makes one almost oblivious to the pain that these brothers had to go through.
SMECT today is 30 years old and RVBB is 27 years old. With the establishment of IMSRF in 1991, to eradicate Thalassaemia which is a genetic disorder, Project ‘Life’, the apex body of all these Trusts and activities, has become a household name in Rajkot, Gujarat. In the Blood Banking sector, it has earned its credibility and has become a renowned name both nationally and internationally.
There are many milestones that Project ‘Life’ has crossed in its developmental journey and there are yet many more to come. The connecting thread between the past, present and the future is the passion to serve and the determination to bring about a difference in the lives of the people it serves. Project ‘Life’ is aware of the implications of financial constraints. It is also aware that any change that is brought about should lead to sustainable development, a development that can enrich life in all aspects.
Like Martin Luther King (Jr.) who had a dream to bring about an attitudinal change in the American Society, like Nelson Mandala spent agonizing years in jail to bring in a peaceful revolution and many others like Gandhiji who believed that India lives in villages; rural India needs LIFE more than ever
The pillars of this magnificent project have been prominent and renowned personalities from the trade and commerce and entertainment industry. Mrs Leela Moolgoakar, wife of Mr. Suman Moolgoakar who was the chairman of Telco, had joined as a chairperson on the 5th December 1981, till she passed away in 1992. Mr. Darbari Seth, the Chairman and Managing Director of Tata Chemicals Limited, Tata Tea Limited and one of the pillars of Tata group, joined as a chief patron from 1984- 1992 and then as a chairman from 1992 till he passed away in 1998. Mr. Harshad Mehta the owner of Rosy Blue joined as the Vice – chairperson in 1986 – 1998 and has been the chairman since 1998. Ms. Jaya Bachchan has been the chairperson of the blood donation movement since 1991. Mr. Mohan Lal Lohia has been the chief patron of Project ‘Life’ since 2002 and Mr. Jayesh Parekh one of the founder members of Sony Television has been our Patron.
Celebrities and renowned people from all walks of life have visited us from time to time. These include Mother Teresa, Dr. W. John Lockyer, Mr. Kapil Dev, Mr. Sachin Tedulkar, Mr. Ravi Shastri, Pujya Morari Bapu, Senior officers from the Government of France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Mr. B. K. Nehru, Ms. Sharda Mukherjee, the then Governor of Gujarat and Mr. Pravin Gandhi and Mr. Hemant Sonawala have also visited us. Project ‘Life’ has also been fortunate to have been visited by philanthropists like Mr. Sharad Shah, Dr Ketki Shah, Mr. Naranjibhai Patel, Dr. Sudhir Parekh, Dr. Vinod Shah, Dr. K.M. Merchant from J.B. Wadia Children Hospital, Mumbai and Ms. Mary Petrou from the University College London Medical School.
A helping hand, a generous heart and a word of encouragement will go a long way in helping us to realize our dream of being the ‘ salt of the earth’ and a catalyst of change for a better tomorrow, to enrich millions of lives and make this planet like a heaven on earth.
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