Following the untouched path!

One requires a lot of patience, courage and compassion to deal with lepers. At 79 years, Er Dr Brahm Dutt has it all. This man has been working for the welfare of lepers, handicapped persons, beggars and the poor for past two decades.
A resident of Sector 21 (A), Faridabad, Dr Dutt has been recently awarded as the 'Best Individual or Institution Working for Empowerment of the People with Disability' by President of India Pratibha Devi Singh Patil.
Born in village Kaurali, district Faridabad, Dutt completed his primary education in his village and later on studied in various schools and colleges. He passed Diploma in Civil Engineering from Rurkee University (now IIT Rurkee) BA and MA from Meerut University UP, LLB from Rajasathan University and Doctorate from Emmanuel International Institute.
A lawyer by profession at Supreme Court of India, this social activist, since 1977, has been serving the lepers in his own way. He has visited many states such as Delhi, Haryana, Gujrat, Tamilnadu, Bihar, Uttrakhand and Uttar Pradesh and worked for their better life.
"Once in 1973, I was travelling from Ballabhgarh to Delhi. I saw some lepers near Old Faridabad Station struggling for their food. Suddenly a thought came in my mind to help them in some way. I had planned to become a full time social worker but my family commitment stopped me from taking a plunge in that direction," he said.
Now, Dr Brahm Dutt is president of Federation of Leprosy Organisation (FOLO), an NGO working for betterment of lepers and turning dream into reality. Still as many as 17 petitions have been pending in High Court and Supreme Court and this 'young' man is fighting for the right of lepers.
His aim is to arrange employment for the dependants of the leprosy affected persons, to inculcate a feeling of brotherhood among the lepers and to uplift their moral for living a better life with self respect and dignity.
In the past, Ram Naresh Yadav former chief minister of UP, Ahmad Patel, political secretary to Sonia Gandhi Oscar Fernandez, Union Minister of Labour , Archbishop Padamshree Dr MA Thomas, Padamsher Dr CP Thakur MP former minister of health, Govt. of India and other similar dignitaries appreciated the efforts of Dr Brahm Dutt and encouraged him to continue his social service.
Governor of Kerala, RL Bhatia has acknowledged his work and hailed the efforts assuring him for any kind of help anytime.
Dr Dutt has been making sincere efforts to get the homes allocated to leprosy affected and handicapped persons for their happily daily life. More than 100 people have got their accommodation at Tahirpur, Shahdara and Delhi and many more are left.
"There are 20 'ashrams' for lepers in Haryana and 32 in Delhi. Besides, the Haryana government provides `600 aid per month to the leprosy affected person however Delhi government pays `1800. I am trying hard to make it possible for the Haryana people to get the same amount," he concluded.
—Arpit Gupta