This Man Friday needs help from kindhearted

BANGALORE: For the residents of Byatarayanapura New Extension, 40-year-old Radhakrishnan was a Man Friday: When someone fell ill in the locality and was hospitalised, you could bet Radhakrishnan would be there - ready to render any service within his means.
When the time for the Ayyappa pooja came along at the end of every year, Radhakrishnan would slog three days non-stop along with other members of the local Ayappa Sangha to ensure that the pooja went off well.Meagre are his means but big is his heart.
Now, that very same heart, in its physical sense, is threatening to take Radhakrishnan away from his seven-year-old daughter, wife and numerous friends.
For several years now, the part-time electrician had been quietly carrying a rheumatic heart condition. His friends only learnt of it recently when he experienced severe chest pain following a fever bout.
This week, just as his friends were going about rallying funds - from the neighbourhood and the PM, CM relief funds - for the early valve replacement and open heart surgery recommended by doctors, Radhakrishnan collapsed under a bout of giddiness and breathlessness.
Rushed to Manipal Heart Foundation at midnight by a friend, Radhakrishnan is now hoping with all his heart that the financial help of Rs 1.5 lakh he needs for the surgery will arrive quickly. "I have no means to go in for the surgery. I’m helpless."
"It is a pity to see this helplessness in a pair of eyes that used to always twinkle with enthusiasm. He is a philanthropist of physical energy," says Rajmohan, an executive whose aunt lives near Radhakrishnan’s house in Byatarayanapura.
"He never told us he had been suffering all along. If people can help us, we can save our friend," says Ramesh, another resident of the area.
By obtaining the waiver of payments like the doctor’s fees and through the collection of funds, Radhakrishnan’s well-wishers have been able to generate nearly Rs 80,000 for his surgery. They are hoping to generate another Rs 70,000 from the kindhearted.
To help Radhakrishnan, contact Beena Rajan, MHF coordinator, on 56727046 or send contributions in patient’s name to Manipal Heart Foundation.