| |
A STITCH IN TIME BY GOOD
SAMARITAN DOCTOR PRASAD SUREDDI
SAVES STUDENT’S THUMB
By Amishi Shah
|
|
|
|
|
 Bhavana Varala came to Waterbury
from Hyderabad, India, in August 2008 with her bags
packed with winter clothes, photographs of family
members and friends and excitement at starting a new
phase of her life as a student in Connecticut.
Varala is working on her master’s degree in computer
science at the Sacred Heart University in Waterbury.
Little did she know then that she would need courage
in plenty in the first few months of her arrival in
the country.
“While chopping a green bell pepper, I accidentally
cut my thumb on the left hand,” said Varala. It was
not a routine cut that could be healed with a
band-aid. Her problem was temporarily solved when a
doctor at the Emergency Room in a local hospital put
in place four stitches on her wound and tied-up her
thumb with bandages for support. The doctor insisted
that she undergo micro-surgery because of the deep
cut, which would have cost her $10,000. “My classes
were yet to begin and so I didn’t have any health
insurance yet,” said Varala.
 She had intense pain even several days after the
incident. At the suggestion of a friend, Varala, a
Telugu, contacted Ayyavaru Sivalenka, secretary of
the Telugu Association of Connecticut and a software
engineer by profession. He understood the gravity of
the situation and got in touch with Dr. Prasad
Sureddi, a plastic surgeon at the Waterbury
Hospital.
Sureddi gave her an appointment the very next day.
“I didn’t know the seriousness of the situation
until I saw her. I was hoping that she would not
have cut the palm-side of her thumb as that part is
more sensitive,”he explained.When he saw the cut, he
knew it was serious. Besides, Varala was still in
excruciating pain and was anxious to be in a new
country and a new environment.
“The thought of no insurance and the cost of a
surgery had not entered my mind at all when I saw
the wound,” said Sureddi. That very week, Varala was
in the operating room at the Naugatuck Valley
Surgical Center, one of the 14 hospitals where
Sureddi works. Varala didn’t have to pay a dime for
the procedure, which was assisted by Dr. Raj Mangla,
an anesthesiologist and Dr. Bill Turly, chief of
anesthesia.
“We were able to write off all the costs for the
surgery. The hospital didn’t charge a penny,” said
Sureddi. During the operation,the doctors saw that
Varala had cut two nerves and an artery while
chopping vegetables. Despite the extent of the
damage,Varala responded well to the surgery and was
released from the hospital that very day.
 Sureddi’s generosity didn’t end with the operation.
He arranged for Varala’s rehabilitation and
physiotherapy as well. She was not charged for that
either. “Waterbury’s physical therapy rehab center
ACCESS provided free care. It was not entirely
unusual to have not charged Bhavana as we do provide
services to local people also who are unable to
pay,” said Sureddi.
Varala is all praise for Sureddi,Sivalenka and his
wife Madhavi. “At one point, I thought of going back
to India even though I have told nothing to my
parents about this till date.Sivalenka,his wife and
others from the Telugu Association (Shantisri
Vutukuru and Haritha Machineni) were really helpful
as they drove me everyday for physical therapy and
got me back home also,” said Varala. Another member,
Sreekanth Nelakudeti, was at the hospital during the
surgery.
Sureddi said that growing up, his family lived in
various places across India.“I remember that our
home was always open to anyone who was from our
hometown,” recalled Sureddi. Surely,kindness runs in
the family. |
Amishi
Shah is a frequent contributor to CT Indian Life. |
Anjaneya’s Allure
By Sujata Srinivasan
Roger N. Buckley is a
professor of history at the University of
Connecticut and the author of ‘I, Hanuman,’ a
historic novel based on the real life story of an
Indian soldier who rebelled against British
occupation in 1857. Buckley learned of Hanuman early
on from his mother, who is of Indian origin, and
later through his own research. Here in a
freewheeling interview with Sujata Srinivasan,he
talks about his fascination with the popular Hindu
God and why he believes Hanuman, whose jayanti
(birthday) falls on April 9th, is both universal and
timeless.
Why do you find Hanuman so fascinating?
First of all, everyone loves monkeys.They are
naughty and resourceful.And Hanuman’s qualities are
magical devotion, loyalty, resourcefulness,
relentlessness, invincibility and courage as
depicted in the Ramayana. I was struck by the
extraordinary story of how he once had to bring a
healing herb from a mountain and he could not
recognize it, so he carried the whole mountain. Who
cannot admire these qualities?
‘I, Hanuman’, based on the real life story of Bedasee Singh in the 19th century, is a fascinating
narrative about an Indian patriot who dresses up as
Hanuman and attacks the British on horseback. What
qualities of the Hindu god does your protagonist
represent?
‘I, Hanuman’ is a retelling of the Ramayana in
the context of 1857. I have read letters, which are
eyewitness accounts of what Bedasee Singh did in the
battle. There are four eyewitnesses who saw his
exploits. Singh’s whole body was encased head to toe
as Hanuman. He had taken on the persona of Hanuman –
loyalty and devotion to India, resourcefulness, and
of course self-sacrifice.
Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the Hindu
political party Vishwa Hindu Parishad in India, is
named after Bajrang, another name for Hanuman.The
right-wing Shri Ram Sena (lord Ram’s army, which
consists of Hanuman) adopts this deity as its
symbol. Why is Hanuman so fascinating to people who
rebel against, (in their opinion), the negative
influence of foreigners and foreign culture on Hindu
society?
In the Ramayana, Hanuman seeks to protect and bring
back Sita to lord Rama. Sita is India, and Hanuman
is rescuing her from a foreign demon, Ravana. And in
the execution of protecting Sita, who is Mother
India, he is loyal, undaunted, creative,and
powerful. Who wouldn’t want to adopt him as their
symbol? That is why he is so appealing to these
groups he is the proctor of the motherland.
In what way would you say Hanuman is both
universal and timeless?
Good versus evil, the known versus the unknown,
the known versus aliens. In the Ramayana, Hanuman
overcomes obstacles such as great distances and so
forth. There comes a time in everyone’s life when
they need the qualities of lord Hanuman.When we have
obstacles to overcome,we draw upon this idea of
Hanuman.And when we overcome these obstacles, aren’t
we like Hanuman?
Can you think of a similar figure in Western
mythology, whose influence is as strong in
contemporary society?
I think in some ways Hanuman is like Super Man but
with much more depth. Sometimes when we get down and
pessimistic we need someone to come and be our
defender. Hanuman may even be like King Arthur –
this nobleman of high ideals who protects his people
from foreign invasion. Arthur protected England from
the invasion of the Saxons. All cultures need a
super hero they can draw upon from their community
or from themselves when they try to overcome
obstacles.We are not by ourselves Super Man,but we
need at times to make a super human effort. This is
what Hanuman embodies.
On a personal front, how do you relate to Hanuman as
a popular Hindu god?
I have a small puja area in my house; all my friends
who visit India bring me a statue of Hanuman – I
have eight of these statues. I turn to this shrine
over my fireplace when I need inspiration, or when I
have to deal with illnesses and the death of a loved
one. |
Sujata
Srinivasan is the editor of CT Indian Life. |
|
|
|
