A Man with a Mission – T.V.RAGHAVAN

 “The life is short, the vanities of the world are transient, but they alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.” – Swami Vivekananda.

So began the will of Mr. T. V. Raghavan (67) – a man who believed in living for others in the truest sense of the word. Listening to his family speaking about him was a very touching experience. Mr. Raghavan was very successful in his work but his mission in life was to strive towards fulfilling the social objectives that he had set for himself. Whether it was blood donation (He was a donor right from 1963) or being a part of the “Adopt a Child” programme or being a correspondent of the Vivekananda Secondary Girls High School or undertaking social projects in Natrampalli, he was a man who gave of himself fully and whole-heartedly, expecting nothing in return. He had a social consciousness within him that was greatly influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda.

His desire to help others unconditionally comes through clear and strong in his will where he states that in the event of his death or entering into a prolonged coma his eyes, kidneys, heart and other body parts be donated to “deserving poor patients in any medical institution." He led a very active life, exercised regularly and was always extremely positive in his outlook. He was a man who was not frightened by the finality of death but looked beyond and said, “I hope to continue to help people even after my death.”

July 25, 1999 – Mr. Raghavan was looking forward to a visit from his grandchildren living in the U.S.A. A scooter accident changed all that. It seemed like he had suffered a minor head injury. He managed to pick himself up and made a phone call to a friend. He was then taken to the local community hospital. Events then took a turn for the worse. He began vomiting and it was apparent that he required a CT scan. The hospital did not have the facilities to do one so he was transported to a diagnostic centre. His condition worsened progressively. An emergency surgery was done to tackle the bleeding in the brain; six units of blood were transfused but all to no avail. On July 27, 1999 he was declared brain dead.

Tragedy could not have struck more suddenly and could not have made less sense. But Mr.Raghavan had imprinted, so strongly, his desire to donate, on the minds of all those close to him that one of his friends, Dr. P.K. Bhaskar, spoke to the doctors about his wish. The doctors at the hospital said that it lacked the facilities to carry out the organ retrieval but it could be done at another leading hospital in the city. Mr. Raghavan’s wife, Mrs. Hamsa and his family were so committed to fulfilling his wishes that they agreed to move him solely to facilitate organ retrieval.

This was the beginning of a nightmare for them - a tale of insensitivity, lack of compassion and consideration on the part of the hospital and its staff. The family was left to fend for itself with communication from the doctors being kept to the bare minimum. After the retrieval, there was no one on hand to speak with the family or make sure that the body was handed over to the family in the smoothest possible manner or given any sort of assistance for post-mortem. The family was subjected to demands to settle bills when it had been clearly stated that all expenses would be taken care of, by the recipient. At the end of it all the apologies did come but the experience has left bitter memories in the mind of the family. But they have no regrets because for them, fulfilment has come in fulfilling their father’s wishes. They take comfort in what Mr.Raghavan wrote in his will: