Leprosy Mailing List – November 19th, 2011
Ref.: Demise of Dr R Ganapati
From: H Srinivasan, Chennai, India; G Oehler, Nigeria; R Jerskey, Los Angeles, USA
Dear all,
The Leprosy World lost an eminent son and I have lost another good friend in the death of Dr R Ganapati, who tirelessly worked for the well- being of the leprosy-afflicted, all his life and almost till his last breath. Just three weeks ago he, in a mail to me, said he "tries to work as much as his heart allows" him to. Even his heart, large as it was, could not, I suppose, cope with the workload and had to call it a day at last.
Dr Ganapati's name was synonymous with "Urban leprosy control" and whenever Bombay (now Mumbai) was mentioned in connection with leprosy, it often referred to Dr Ganapati and his work. He was the father of the well-known Bombay Leprosy Project and in setting that up and running it he showed that good quality leprosy work could be done successfully in the urban metropolitan milieu and how that could be done. That was not an easy task as anybody with experience in field work would avow. Before Ganapati, it was thought an almost impossible task, and lo, there was Dr Ganapati and the impossible was shown to be successfully possible, giving a fillip to setting up other urban leprosy control projects. Unlike many others in the field, his interest was not confined to "making the leprosy patients safe for the community by rendering them 'smear negative' "; he was interested in their total welfare and in that I feel he served as a model leprosy worker. His work in Dharavi, reputed to be the largest slum of Asia located in Bombay, is a glorious chapter in the annals of leprosy work in India.
He was a personal friend of mine and I will always remember his endearing smile and the way he came forward and offered his help to my daughter when she had to spend a year in Bombay as a student. My heartfelt condolences to Mrs Ganapati and his two daughters and to the staff of Bombay Leprosy Project for their great loss. In the face of death, we are helpless and can only share their sorrow.
H Srinivasan
Dear all,
Everyone at GLRA Nigeria was very sorry indeed to receive the news of the passing of Dr. Ganapati. His tireless work at the Bombay Leprosy Project brought hope and comfort to many, and will remain an inspiration to everyone involved in the fight against leprosy. The management and staff of GLRA Nigeria wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to colleagues, friends and Ganapati family, while we pray for God to grant his soul perfect peace.
Yours sincerely,
Gerhard Oehler
GLRA Country Representative
on behalf of German Leprosy and TB Relief Association Nigeria
Greetings from East Godavari Dt., Andhra Pradesh, India, Salvatore, and greetings to all who read the LML....
My wife Vikerunuo ["Aruno"] and I are visiting projects in urban and rural India these weeks and we had the joy and privilege of meeting with Dr. Ramaswamy Ganapati during our sojourn in Mumbai just this past week, including at the Bombay Leprosy Project.
His warmth, passion for serving those affected by leprosy and encyclopaedic knowledge in the field of leprosy will be greatly missed. The twinkle in his eyes, his smile, and generosity of sharing from his extensive reservoir of anecdotes and research....undiminished since we first met, when he graciously welcomed me nearly 20 years ago to the day at the conference on "Relapses and Reactions" in Hyderabad.
In Memorium and Gratitude,
Robert Jerskey
LOTR, POD consultant
National Hansen's Disease Program
Los Angeles and San Diego
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