AN ICON OF INSPIRATION- DR. A R K PILLAI

In today’s fast moving world, when man is busy pursuing material gains there is no room for the word “social obligation”. It is very much grieving to note that today’s man has forgotten his obligation towards fellow human beings. However there are good people who are working in silence to eradicate the social evils which has gripped our society due to centuries of injustice heaped on the downtrodden and poor.

Dr.A R K Pillai is a one such humanitarian, silently toiling for the good cause for past 4 decades. IDF (previously ILEF) is the brainchild of Dr A R K Pillai. Dr.Pillai was grief stricken at the plight of underprivileged and disabled people right from his childhood.

Born in 1928, Dr. Pillai saw various turn of events as his family went through financial hardships. Faced with question of survival, Dr.Pillai had to suppress his social inclination. He understood the stark reality of having sufficient resources, if one has to fulfill his dreams of helping fellow human beings. Difficult times drove Dr.Pillai from his hometown in Kerala to distant land, Mumbai. For months he struggled with new language, place and people and survived by doing odd jobs. Sheer luck got him a job in Railways at clerk level. With determination and hardwork, he climbed ladder after ladder and completed his MA and LLB. His creative nature took him to advertising agency backed by new qualifications in advertising, PR and journalism. He soon realized that media is the best medium to highlight the evils of society.

At a time when Dr.Pillai was brooding over increased role towards society, he got married and was blessed with a son. With a need to sustain his family he had to postpone his social obligations for some more years. In the meantime he continued growing in his career path and led a rich life. Years passed with lots of deliberations and discussions in family and one day he quit his work to take up the cause of eradication of leprosy. He continued his life by writing to papers and managed his affairs with limited money he had saved. During this time, he was approached by Germany and Switzerland to take up Public Relations role for their Leprosy Projects in India. He spent years visiting Germany and Switzerland raising funds for leprosy patients in India. In one such meeting he was asked by a German as to why he had to raise funds from Germany and be a dependent. Dr.Pillai’s ego was hurt and he decided to form an Indian NGO. With the help of some friends ILEF (Indian Leprosy Foundation) was formed in 1984.

It was a daunting task to run ILEF with meager resources. Dr.Pillai could not even raise a 4 figure amount in his first year of operation. But as was his nature, he never gave up and worked hard to raise funds. He has done this successfully year after year for last 25 years with public participation. IDF today works with hundreds of health and education institutions. The service model is unique and Dr.Pillai has been invited to assist not only Indian but also international organisations. People who work with him do not work for money (as NGOs cannot pay handy salaries like corporates) but they are social soldiers who are continuously inspired by their leader, As 80, Dr.Pillai starts his day before sunrise, spends lots of time in corresponding with various agencies, visits to projects, inspires people continuously to strive for development. He is truly an `icon of inspiration’. To learn more about Dr.Pillai, visit www.idf.org.in.

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