HereNow4U - Living Jainism Tour 2006 - 07.10 Jaipur (10) Tagore Hospital & Tagore International School

29th November 2006, 12:30 - 15:30

Shri Balwant Mehta had provided the opportunity to us to visit Tagore Hospital & Tagore International School. He was familiar with Tagore Hospital, as some weeks before our arrival in Jaipur, he had undergone a knee surgery there. Hospital and school are located in front of each other; the hospital is futuristically designed, the school in traditional Rajasthani style, and they are run by the same trust.

We approached Tagore Hospital and were happily looking forward to meet surgeon Dr. S. B. Solanki personally who had provided the informations for HereNow4U readers on Tagore Hospital, especially those on knee surgery of our dear Shri Balwant Mehta in October 2006. Entry and vestibule were like on the photos, the atmosphere is inspiring confidence.

Shri P. D. Singh, Dr. S. B. Solanki, and Dr. Ruchira Solanki gave a warm welcome to us. Shri P. D. Singh is the president of the trust running Tagore Hospital and Tagore International School, founded 10 years before the Hospital project was started. Shri P. D. Singh is an educationalist, and his inclination towards providing an excellent standard medical institution in Jaipur was in large parts inspired by his daughter, Dr. Ruchira Solanki, a gynaecologist, and her husband, Dr. S. B. Solanki. Both doctors had received their medical formation and practiced in Europe (UK); Dr. S. B. Solanki had enlarged his medical knowledge in the US as well as in Germany, from where he got medical apparatuses and skill enhancement. Dr. Ruchira Solanki regularly gives medical camps for women free of charge. Her activities in Tagore Hospital are on the administrative level, resp. the implication of planning.

We were invited to take seat at the conference table, where we got familiar with the schedule of our visit in a relaxed conservation. There we learned that we got the opportunity to visit Tagore International School as well.

Dr. Ruchira Solanki explained to Karuna the concept of Tagore Hospital, which is based on modular structure, containing four buildings that are connected to each other, but necessary facilities like electricity, water, etc. can also separately be provided in case of need. Part 1 of the modules, the hospital area, was about to be completed; the other 3 parts were one step before realisation. Areas for rehabilitation, physiotherapy, sports, swimming pools, accommodation for medical doctors and their families, facilities to accommodate the patients’ relatives, and, last not least, a college for nurses are foreseen. Further, the concept of medical health care in Tagore Hospital aims not only at providing high-quality medical facilities, but also to contribute to the spiritual upliftment of the patients. Tours to Jain abodes in Rajasthan are integral part of the health conception here, to balance the mind towards beauty, true, and good, when the stressed body needed medical support.

In Dr. Solanki’s focus, healthy food and healthy lifestyle are the columns of balance between body, mind, and soul. “There is no short-cut to healthy living through medication, medication is only meant for short-term application.” Dr. S. B. Solanki is a promoter of positive thinking, spirituality, and vegetarianism, according to him the awareness of these is growing globally. He added, “These were the columns of Ancient Indian Civilisation as well.”

Shivani Bothra confirmed Dr. Solanki’s conception as very successful, as she had to consult him two years ago and still remembers the emotional and spiritual support she received together with the medical consultation. She added, “I did not have to come back!” There is nothing left to say…

In April 2007, Dr. Solanki rushed to give desperately needed surgery to Munishree Rakesh Kumarji’s knee.

After visiting Dr. Solanki’s office, we went by foot to the first floor; the staircase of the hospital is specially constructed for use of wheelchairs. Therefore, instead of stairs an ascending ramp leads to the storeys. We arrived at a sculpture symbolising man’s progression in life. Thrown into a new life by a goddess, the newborn baby needs support and care, slowly progressing in life on the own feet, and then again needing support and care in old age. Dr. Solanki said that this sculpture is here to accentuate the focus of medical care, which is the human being in its need for support and care.

We then got back to the conference table, where some cake was served. It was Dr. Ruchira Solanki’s birthday cake, and we were happy to be present at her birthday! This was so surprising for us that again, we forgot to take photos! Then Dres. Solanki approached with parcels in their hands and gifted beautiful art works to us, depicting Lord Mahavira in meditation posture and Namokar Mantra, painted behind glass in colours made of precious stones! Fortunately, our dear friend Shri Balwant Mehta kindly reminded us to take photos.

We then went in front to visit Tagore International School, founded 1995 by late Shri Deepak Rathore, principal, and Shri P. D. Singh, trustee. They had realised their dream of education and named it after the famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore who was a great educationalist as well. Madame Kamla Rathore, now principal, is continuing the work of her husband and gave a warm welcome to us at the entry of the school together with Shri P. D. Singh.

In front of a semi-relief of Goddess Saraswati, a group of small students received us in the traditional Indian way and sang a beautiful song.

We visited Montessori classes, guided by a licensed Montessori instructor, and met gladsome little students and their teachers. It would go too far to report on Montessori education concept here, all those who want to go in depth, please take the help of a search engine and look yourself what Internet offers on ‘Maria Montessori’, a very famous Italian humanist educationalist. But we were astonished to see the professional realisation of her concept in Jaipur!

Mrs. Kamla Rathore gave detailed informations on how the students are motivated to increase their knowledge from Montessori playgroup up to 16 years, including computer education. She then drew our attention to the thought of the day by G. B. Shaw: We must make the world honest, before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy.

Our visit was completed with a lunch invitation, the realisation of what Dr. Solanki had talked about! Lunch was not only healthy, but also very tasty. We highly enjoyed it and in the conversations between the dishes was a lot of talk on education and health, subjects belonging together for human welfare.