DR. ABHAY BANG & DR. RANI BANG

Two hundred Kilometers to the south of city of Nagpur, lies the area called Gadchiroli. It is on the border of Maharashtra close to the border of Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh and is one of the most backward areas of Maharashtra. In this God forsaken place, a doctor couple, now in their mid-fifties, has been quietly working for over 20 years for the poor people. These are Dr. Abhay Bang and his wife Dr. Rani Bang, who have become legends in their lifetimes. Their work for the poor in the areas of rural ailments in general and infant mortality in particular is phenomenal. It is a lesson for all of us, who do accept the need for doing seva, yet have not found the courage to launch on this path of service.

Dr. Abhay Bang was born on 23rd September 1950. His father Dr. Thakurdas Bang is a true Gandhian and even at this age of nearly 90 years continues to work for the poor in the true Gandhian tradition. Dr. Abhay spent his childhood in Gandhi’s Sevagram, and learned from people like Vinoba Bhave, Shri Narayan Desai, and other truly great Gandhians. After a brilliant academic career, and completing his M.D., he married an equally brilliant co-student Dr. Rani. Dr. Rani was born on 17th September 1951 and came from a wealthy family. But even she had decided to spend her life in the service of humanity.

They first started work in Kanhapur, a village near Wardha. This was in response to the call given by Shri Jai Prakash Narain in the year 1978. They worked hard treating the sick and the poor. But inspite of their wonderful work and noble intentions they had to give up the Kanhapur project after 3 years.

Thereafter both of them went abroad and completed their studies in methodology of public health in Baltimore (U.S.A.) After returning to India they restarted their work for the poor. Their mission was to reduce disease and death amongst the poor people living in our villages. This time they chose to work in Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) which was an extremely backward area, with 80% of the population below the poverty line and which was declared to be district for Adivasis. The rate of infant mortality there was very very high.

In April 1995, Dr. Abhay Bang who was then just 44, got a heart attack. It was a bolt from the blue. Dr. Abhay bang was shaken. He has narrated his experiences, the steps taken by him to overcome his heart disease, the effect of the close encounter with death on his mind, and the spiritual lessons derived from the same by him, in a book "Maza Sakhshatkari Hridayrog" (My Enlightening Heart Disease) in Marathi. The book is extremely readable, and ought to be read by all professionals leading a stressful life and also all seekers of the true purpose of life.

What is most important is that even after the heart attack, and being fully aware, as doctors, of the risks involved, the Bang couple decided and continued their work in the remote areas of Gadchiroli. A second heart attack, in such a place, 200 Kms away from major medical facilities could very well be fatal. Dr. Abhay declined all offers and invitation for being treated at other places in India and abroad, and Dr. Rani accepted his decision with grace. She did everything possible to ensure the good health and progress of Dr. Abhay and stood by him in every possible way.

Over the years, because of the selfless work and devotion to the cause, the Bangs have been remarkably successful in improving the health situation in Gadchiroli. They have achieved all this by motivating the local people to improve their lot and have succeeded, in drastically bringing down the death rate of infants. They did their work quietly, but the world has noticed their work. Both of them have written and published a plethora of papers and articles in various medical journals and magazines. All these have brought international recognition and fame and a string of awards to both of them. Dr. Abhay has, amongst other things, got the following awards:

1. Maharashtra Bhushan – the highest honour from the Govt. of Maharashtra State (2003)
    

2. Global Health Hero – by the TIME Magazine, USA (2005)
    

3. Navratna Puraskar – by Doordarshan Sahyadri Channel, Mumbai (2005)
    

4. Dr. Seshadri Gold Medal – by Indian Council of Medical Research for outstanding contribution to the field of community medicine in India (1996)
    

5. Dr. James Tong Award – of the Voluntary Health Association of India to SEARCH for being the outstanding voluntary institution in India (1999)
    

6. Mahatma Gandhi Award (1994)
    

7. Diwaliben Mehta Award, - Mumbai (2004)
    

8. Rajiv Gandhi Award – Mumbai (2003)
    

9. The State Award for Literary Writing on Science – the Marathi book on "My Enlightening Heart Disease" (November 2001)
    

10. Yashwantrao Chavan Pratisthan Award – for the outstanding contribution to Rural Development in Maharashtra (2000)

Dr. Rani Bang also has an impressive list of awards amongst them, the following:

1. Maharashtra Bhushan – the highest honour from the Govt. of Maharashtra State (2003)
    

2. Global Health Hero – by the TIME Magazine, USA (2005)
    

3. Navratna Puraskar – by Doordarshan Sahyadri Channel, Mumbai (2005)
    

4. Dr. Seshadri Gold Medal – by Indian Council of Medical Research for outstanding contribution to the field of community medicine in India (1996)
    

5. Diwaliben Mohanlal Mehta Award – Mumbai (2004)
    

6. Dr. James Tong Award on the Voluntary Health Association of India to SEARCH for being the outstandint voluntary institution in India (1999)
    

7. Savitri Bai Pule Puraskar – from the Govt. of Maharashtra (2000) for the work among women
    

8. State Govt. Literary Award – for the book ‘Goeen’ (2000)
    

9. Yashwantrao Chavan Pratisthan Award – for the outstanding contribution to rural development in Maharashtra (2000)
    

10. Kasturba Gandhi Puraskar (1999)
     

11. Sane Guruji Puraskar (1999)

Both of them were selected as "The Couple of the Year 1996" for the annual issue of the National Magazine "The Week".

Only recently the Bangs have been given a very well deserved award of $3,00,000 (Approximately Rs.1.30 Crores) by Mac Arthur Foundation of USA. This will help them in carrying on their meritorious work further.

The organization run by Dr. Abhay Bang and Dr. Rani Bang is called ‘SEARCH’. SEARCH offers public health, programs serving 86 villages with total population of about 1,00,000. One of its most successful programs trains village women to diagnose and treat new borns for common illnesses as well as educate and support mothers. During a seven-year period, the program reduced the neo-natal mortality rate by 70 per cent, post-partum maternal morbidity by 50 per cent, and the need for emergency obstetrical care by 30 per cent.

We have to draw a lesson from this dynamic, remarkable couple. One need not be a Sanyasi and give up everything in order to do "Seva". One can be a professional, a Grahastha and still one can contribute much if we so wish and determined.

When one looks at the massive problems our country is facing, one is disheartened. A feeling of despondency comes over us. What can our little effort do? It may not even make a dent in the problems of poverty, ill-health etc. of our country. It is then, that one has to look at the selfless work done by Dr. Abhay and Dr. Rani Bang, which shines as a lighthouse in all the surrounding darkness. It is a guiding star which fills up our heart with hope. We have to do whatever we can without losing heart, and help those who are less fortunate than us, who are poorest of the poor and who have no one to look to for help. One is reminded of a story, narrated by Dr. Abhay Bang himself in his booklet entitled "From Sevagram to Shodgram".

"Once, due to a big storm, lots of fish got thrown on the beach. They were struggling, they were unable to go back in the water. There was a big heap of such fish. A passerby saw that a monk was throwing back one by one the fish in the sea. As soon as the fish fell in water, it swam away. Seeing this, the passerby went near the monk and said ‘What difference will it make by your throwing a few fish in the water?" The monk did not reply picked up yet another fish and threw it in the water. It swam away. Then the monk said "It will certainly make a difference to that fish."