Towards a new vision...

the empty corridors on the first floor of the wvs health center at the delhi university begin to crowd a little after three in the afternoon. people from far, completely disappointed at not being cured of some or the other dreaded disease, flock the small room of dr rakesh kumar jaiswal. as you approach him, he continues to apply acupressure at relevant points on the hand of his patient.he doesn’t see you till the time you speak. and then he immediately recognizes your voice and greets you with a smile. rakesh kumar jaiswal is india’s first blind doctor to specialise in social service by treating patients through acupressure. born in gorakhpur, it was while doing his graduation that baralgan taken for a stomachache reacted, resulting in retinal haemorrhage rendering him blind. ‘‘i realised only 15 days later that my vision had dimmed and went to the bhu. they referred me to a hospital in ahmedabad where two operations later, my sight could not be restored.’’ after graduating in arts from gorakhpur university, he went on for a three month diploma in acupressure and reflexology to the all india institute for alternative medical sciences (gorakhpur). a two year course in doctor of alternate medicine where anatomy and physiology were also taught, jaiswal post graduated in political science side by side. after a b.ed from the jamia millia university, he joined the du acquiring a second masters degree in buddhist studies. he shall submit his ph.d soon. he started practicing in delhi near loni mod and presently has a clinic in ashok vihar . hailing from a family of four sisters and seven brothers, jaiswal lost his parents early in life and was virtually brought up by his sisters. he is totally into social service, so what does he do for a living? ‘‘i teach students in indralok. that is enough to sustain my family,’’ says this man in all simplicity. married to anjana, he has a year and a half old daughter, aishwarya, who live in gorakhpur with the rest of the family. ‘‘my elder sister, dr vijay lakshmi jaiswal has been my greatest inspiration and i owe my success to her’’, he says. triveni, 32, with breast cancer has remarkably improved under his treatment. she has gained weight, feels no weakness and the cancerous growth has dissolved after a month. sunita, 37, a nurse has been a patient of asthma since the last 12 years. ‘‘i used to have severe attacks, could not do without morning medicines and inhalers and winter made my condition worse. after 15 days of sittings with dr jaiswal, there’s tremendous relief,’’ she says. this the world of dr jaiswal,where he heals and feels blessed and satisfied, where a sense of achievement grips him so much so that he does not even feel the need to see light anymore! ‘‘i don’t have the time’’, he leaves you dumbstruck with his statement, ‘‘because there are so many people waiting for me, to get cured...’’ his voice trails off as he gives his wholehearted attention to people in pain. he also holds a diploma in electrohomoeopathy (dehm) from the naturo electro homoeo medicos. presently, dr jaiswal is devicing a new system by putting together 15-20 therapies so that the time taken for the treatment reduces and the side effects are minimised too. ‘‘life is a challenge and i don’t even feel blind anymore. i came across several obstacles but i turned each hurdle into a stepping stone towards success,’’ the voice of strength from this lean man reaches the deepest chambers of the soul and touches the heart of all that surround him for his healing touch.