WHAT THE SCHOOLTEACHER RECOMMENDS: Bedside Ghalib for TB patients
A primary school teacher from an Urdu medium school has donated over 100 books in Urdu to the government-run Sewri TB Hospital for the reading pleasure of patients. “People love to read shayari and poems, so I tried to collect as many books as possible on these subjects. There are books by Mirza Ghalib and other famous Urdu writers. There are also short story collections for kids. This will certainly help cheer up patients,” said Shabiha Khan, a teacher in an Urdu medium school at Mira Roads.
Since Ramzan, Khan, who teaches the primary section, has been collecting books from her friends and family for patients. On July 20, accompanied by her son and his friend, she brought in 120 books to the hospital all the way from Mira Road.
Khan told The Free Press Journal, "When I got a message about the 'Beside the Bed' campaign seeking book donations for TB patients, I really wanted to donate books for patients who could read Urdu. People generally donate books in Hindi and English, so I wanted to collect books in Urdu. So I kept asking people to give me books. Many people refused to donate but I was not discouraged."
Dr Lalit Anande, chief medical officer, said, "I was really happy to receive the books from a schoolteacher. We get patients from all across the country so a large portion of them read Urdu. Certainly these books help keep them engaged. Shayari is the best medicine to enlighten anyone's mood even in a hospital."