The Good Doctor
Dr Arun Ranade won the `Spirit of Mastek’ award for his selfless contribution to society. 
In an increasingly cynical age, when the question most people seem to ask is “What’s in it for me?”, it’s hard to find someone truly selfless, someone who considers his life’s mission to help people in need.
In the aftermath of the Mumbai floods, Mastekeers had the opportunity to come into contact with one such Good Samaritan, Dr Arun Ranade. Hospitals were filling up with the sick and injured, but the city was stricken by a lack of blood. The doctor swung into action and organized 20 blood donation camps – with Mastekeers pitching in to help – to meet that shortfall.
It was in recognition of his selfless service that we gave him `The Spirit of Mastek’ award at the Monthly Meet on August 20. The award is given out every year to outstanding individuals who make a difference to people’s lives and make the world a better place. Dr Ranade was the unanimous choice for the award for 2005.
It wasn’t the first time that Dr Ranade had done something of this nature. He has donated personally 119 bottles of blood and organized over 1000 blood donation camps for 30 years now. He is also deeply involved in eye donation drives and also delivers regular lectures on sex and AIDS awareness, family planning, substance abuse and personality development.
And all this despite a busy life, running the Ranade Surgical Nursing Home, a 13-bedded fully-equipped care centre at Panvel.
There are thousands of doctors who are dedicated to their profession. But Dr Ranade is among the few who go beyond the call of duty to selflessly serve the poor and needy. What makes him do it?
Dr Ranade developed his social conscience at an early age. In his younger days, he read many inspirational magazines such as Stree and Kirloskar that dealt with women’s empowerment, health and other social problems. The values that he picked up then have made him what he is today. The family background too helped. “I come from a typically middle-class Maharashtrian background that frowns upon ostentatious displays of wealth and possessions. I had a registered marriage 27 years ago which was attended by just eight family members,” he says.
His first foray into social service was as a student in medical college, when he discovered that there were patients who were so poor they couldn’t afford to pay the doctors when they fell ill. Dr Ranade’s extended family had a few doctors whom he persuaded to treat his friends. “I have always had a special place in my heart for the poor,” he says.
Dr Ranade started donating blood while he was still a youngster and is an active donor even today. Not just that, he also persuades his extended family and neighbours to donate blood. “It’s sad that people don’t come forward to donate blood. Misconceptions and ignorance deter many people from donating blood. I recall an incident when a little boy was struggling for his life and needed blood. When I asked his father to donate, he flatly refused. I couldn’t persuade him at all,” he says.
He’s also an active campaigner for the cause of eye donation. To date, he’s managed to convince 12 families to donate the eyes of their loved ones after death. His mother’s eyes were donated, and it’s very comforting for him to know that another person’s life will be transformed as a result.
Over the past few years, Dr Ranade has helped 10 childless couples adopt children. “A couple once came over, begging me to abort their child. They had a one-year-old baby and weren’t financially secure enough to afford another one. It was too late for me to operate so I refused. But they were desperate and refused to accept the child. That’s when I decided to give the child to a childless couple. Today the couple is very happy and ever-grateful to the Almighty for this opportunity,” he says.
Dr Ranade has also set up a facility -- Shanti Avedan -- for the terminally ill at his nursing home. He was inspired into setting up the facility after he came across a special section by that name at the Mount Mary Church in Bandra. Terminally ill patients need round-the-clock attention and it is difficult for their family to take care of them. Until now, 15 such patients -- including some AIDS patients -- have been looked after at Shanti Avedan.
Dattaprasad, one of Dr Ranade’s students, who accompanied him to the award ceremony, explains how the doctor transformed his life. As a first year MBBS student at Terna Medical College, Dattaprasad was addicted to alcohol and smoking. He neglected his studies – taking four attempts to clear his first year -- and found himself staring at a dark future. It was after he met Dr Ranade in his second year that his life changed. “I welcomed New Year 2003 by donating a bottle of blood with Dr Ranade at midnight instead of drinking a bottle of beer. Whatever I am today and will be in the future is because of Dr Ranade’s total involvement in my career and life,” he says.
For someone who seems to have time for everyone, how does he manage to find time for himself? Dr Ranade tackles this problem by simply waking up at 4 am. After spending an hour at the gym between 5 am and 6 am, he gets ready for work, and to do his good deeds for the day.
The fact that his family or his colleagues don’t have the same level of interest or involvement in social and humanitarian work doesn’t perturb him. In fact, he’s penned a few lines on this:
They call me mad
They are not wrong
To achieve a goal
You have to be mad
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