Selfless Service across the World
Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao
Published in Deccan Chronicle on 8th May 1986 and
In Indian Express on 8th May 1989
Doctors and nurses hurriedly treated the casualties of the intermittent fighting in Lebanon. Lorries loaded with relief supplies for prisoners of war camps in Chad moved accompanied by a transport officer. A visitor paid attention to a detainee in a prison yard. In Teheran and also in Baghdad wounded people were helped down from the aircraft. All these helping people belong to the same institution-the International Committee of Red Cross- which founded the Red Cross movement. Constructive programme begins on a small scale and as an ideal of few individuals. Ultimately they turn out to be massive organisations. Red Cross is one such notable organisation. Spread all over the world, the Red Cross extends a helping hand to war victims and those hit by natural calamities and accidents. Wherever there is need for mutual help, Red Cross takes it up. One can see the Red Cross coming to the rescue of those who are dying of hunger, those rendered homeless following disasters, cyclones, floods and prisoners of war and the wounded.
A Swiss humanitarian who was the first Nobel Peace Laureate, Jean Henry Dunant, known as the father of the Red Cross, was born on May 8, 1828, in Geneva, Switzerland. His birthday is celebrated all over the world as Red Cross Day. Dunant was associated right from his childhood with organisations working in aid of the poor, sick and affected. While he was in Italy he chanced to arrive at the battle of Solferino, in 1859. He was deeply moved when he saw nearly 40,000 soldiers either dying or wounded and of the resultant destruction, misery and helplessness in the Solferino war of 1859. Dunant who organised relief work for the wounded became from that time a totally changed person.
Dunant published his famous book “A Memory to Solferino” in which for the first time he made a reference to the need of an organisation like Red Cross. The memoirs are the result of the conflict in his mind which ultimately led to the formation of the Red Cross. Dunant thought that this type of international organisation would act immediately and voluntarily to help the distressed and the helpless in any calamity or conflict and instil in them a sense of human dignity. The book created a stir all over the world. Heads of States of different countries, doctors all over the world, military officers, writers and several other prominent people approved Dunant’s views.
With Henry Dunant and four other citizens of Geneva, Guillaume Henri Dufour, Gastave Moynier, Dr. Louis Appia and Dr. Theodore Maunoir, a five member committee was formed to formulate a charter for Red Cross. Thus, the Red Cross was born in 1863 in Geneva and those five are the founding fathers. A few days later Prussia and Denmark got involved in a war. For the first time with Red Cross symbol on the battlefield, Dr. Appia, an influential individual deputed by the Geneva committee and one of the founding fathers, carried on relief operations without any difficulty in that war of 1863. However, the Committee realised that there was nothing that Red Cross could do in battle field without the active support of various governments and their military officers.
The Swiss Government asked the committee to work out something in this regard. In 1864, representatives of different countries met in Geneva and formulated a ten-point charter for the Red Cross. At present, there are about 186 countries which have signed the conventions and thus have their National Red Cross Societies with a total membership running in to Crores. When they signed the conventions, the governments for their part agreed: to care for all wounded whether a friend or foe; to protect people’s physical and spiritual well-being, their dignity, family rights and religious and moral convictions; to ban torture and cruel treatment, summary executions and mass killings, deportations, taking of hostages, pillage and the wanton destruction of civilian property; and to allow the delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross Societies to visit prisoners of war and civilian internees and to speak with detainees without witness.
The International Committee of the Red Cross with 25 Swiss citizens as its members is the apex body of this massive organisation. They meet in assembly about eight times a year. The assembly is the supreme policy-making body. The Executive Board with seven members supervises the administration and the Directorate is responsible for management of different affairs. Then, the League of Red Cross Societies with its secretariat at Geneva coordinates the working of all National Red Cross Societies of different countries. International Committee of the Red Cross, National Societies and the League of Red Cross Societies together from the International Red Cross.
Norway’s Fridgof Nonsen and Miss Clara Barton of America were among the famous personalities who served the society through Red Cross. Mahatma Gandhi was a Red Cross volunteer in the Boer War. For the first time the world community came to know about the importance of Red Cross during World War-I. It was a war fought all over the world involving lakhs of soldiers. Thousands either died or received wounds. Red Cross did yeoman service in providing them aid, both physically and mentally.
When USA attacked Germany on April 6, 1917, American Red Cross aided by French Red Cross served on the battlefield. Long before the war started, American Red Cross aided by French Red Cross appeared on the battle scene. Many wounded soldiers were moved out of the battlefield by Red Cross volunteers for medical treatment. Among them was the 19-year-old Ernest Hemingway. Later in his famous book “Farewell to Arms”, he described the role of Red Cross which was an eyewitness account.
In 1959, about 10,000 patients were brought to Mckness Hospital in Morocco with a typical paralysis complaint which nobody could diagnose. Ambitious merchants, in a bid to make more profits, adulterated cooking oil. Medicines failed to cure the crippled parts of the body. Physio therapy was the only way. But this required hundreds of trained, committed and experienced volunteers. Immediately, Morocco Red Cross sought the help of International Red Cross Committee and various National Red Cross Societies. Within week’s time doctors, nurses and volunteers sponsored by Red Cross Societies, from all over the world reached Morocco. None of them know for how long they were to stay there. Morocco Red Cross provided them all accommodation. Slowly patients recovered. They were given necessary training to settle down in life. At last except 272, all were sent home. They were looked after by Red Cross.
The Indian Red Cross Society, established in 1920, under the patronage of the Government of India and the State Governments, has been active from the beginning. Red Cross is constituted by an Act of Parliament with the President of India as its President at the national level, Governors of states as Presidents of State units while the district collectors are Presidents of the district units. One best example of its service is its involvement in the relief and rehabilitation programmes in Sri Lanka. Among all the National Red Cross Societies, Indian Red Cross has the largest number of beneficiaries, according to former Secretary General of IRCS Ajit Bhowmic.
The Andhra Pradesh branch of the Indian Ref Cross responded to crisis and calamities and particularly during the time of Governor Ms. Kumudben Joshi became a people’s movement. Relief works were organised during floods, famine, earthquakes and epidemics and foundations were laid to construct 200 cyclone shelters in the coastal areas. These cyclone shelters were so designed that they can be used for health care activities in normal times. State Red Cross during her time was running three orphanages at Gaddiannaram in Hyderabad as well as at Guntur and at Eluru catering to about 150 inmates in all. It started a Red Cross National School on the campus of the Central University in Hyderabad, the first of its kind in the sense that on the same campus one can get primary schooling to post graduate education. What happened to all f them is not known.
In the twin cities, Red Cross then had five maternity and child welfare centres, where full aid for family planning activities was made available from Government of India. They were Lady Barton Hospital at Secunderabad, Pauldas Hospital at Ranigunj and one each in Bansilalpet, Masab Tank and Bowenpally. In addition to maternity and child welfare activities crèche and balwadi facilities were also made available in the Masab Tank Hospital where about 85 children were taken care of. In the same place, there was also a training programme in sewing. Crèche and balwadi facility was also available at Lady Barton Hospital. Besides these, Rakshak unit, Red Cross Greens, Yoga Prakruti Health Centre, Social Forestry etc., were the other activities. Conducting blood and eye donation camps was a route feature. Many of them are not seen today.
Junior Red Cross aimed at involving school children, was being activated in the State for the first time. With a view to taking care of the aged, Red Cross also taken up a programme of developing a “senior citizens” resort’ at Nazeebnagar near Hyderabad. The then Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao who was also the statutory Vice-President of State Red Cross laid the foundation-stone. The objective of this resort was to provide persons over 55 years of age, irrespective of caste, language, or creed on becoming members of the society, with shelter, food, medical check-up, library facility, entertainment etc.
Red Cross completed 145 years of service to humanity. It has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize more than once.
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