Nammalwar never thought he would be able to use his ‘right hand’ again until today. The 52-year-old hailing from Sivakasi district had lost a major portion of his right arm while working in a printing press in 1994.
With the arm, he also lost his confidence and went into depression. However, on Sunday after a prosthetic hand was fixed, his joy knew no bounds. He started practising to write his name. Very soon, he will be able to do normal activity using his right arm.
Sixty beneficiaries selected from various parts of the State were given prosthetic hands sponsored by the Sree Balaji Seva Trust, the Rotary Club of MCC Chennai and the Rotary Club of Poona Downtown.
They received the prosthetic hands at a function here on Sunday.
High demand
State Commissioner for the Disabled V. Arun Roy said while the State government had allotted more than ₹800 crore for the uplift of people with disabilities including distribution of pension, early intervention and artificial limbs, the demand was very high the government alone would not be able to fulfil it.
“It is here the public-private partnership can help in overcoming this challenge and at the same time help the physically challenged people,” he said.
Rajesh Gupta, president of Rotary Club of Poona Downtown, said the prosthetic hands were sourced from Ellen Meadows Prosthetic Hand Foundation in the U.S. Each costs ₹18,000 and are distributed under the ‘Gift of Hope’ project. V. Vaikunth, founder, Sree Balaji Seva Trust, spoke.