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| Divakar Dev, D.V.Dev Brothers, Mattanchery, Kochi |
At the age of 27, he was afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. Now, 36 years later, the effects of the ailment, like uncontrollable muscle movement and slow speech affect him. But that has not prevented Divakar Dev, the Managing Partner of the spices firm D.V.Dev Brothers of Kochi, from leading a productive social life by founding the Parkinsons Society of India, conducting international seminars on the disease at Kochi every year and writing about the disease in the international medical journal, ‘Lancet’.
The muscle-shaking disease was a mind-shaking earthquake. But his wife Anjali stood by him with unshaken resolve.
With the financial backing of the business at his disposal, he could have led a withdrawn life - away from the social milieu. But he started studying all about the ailment. And in 1985 he founded the Parkinsons Society of India, at Mattanchery. The Society is headquartered in his office and is financed by him.
Since 1985, every summer, he has been organizing international workshops on the disease. There are at present about 1500 members in the Society, which has branches in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi and places in India.
About 20 patients approach him every week for consultation and medicine. The Society provides free medicine to poor patients. The medicine consists of an extract from ‘Naikuranaparippu’. Earlier he used to take the nut as such. Now he extracts the ‘El Dopa’ from the nut and uses it as medicine.
Even though his body may shake, he does not shy away from public stages and functions. At 63, he goes to office and attends essential matters relating to business and the Society.
According to him, facing life with confidence is the essential part of treating the disease.
Courtesy:
Biju.C.P (text), Sudhir Mohan (photo), Mathrubhumi Arogya Masika, April
2009
Contributed by: Administrator
