Glimpse - Your Stories from Abroad

Hari is a Sadhu, an ascetic Hindu who has given up material and sexual attachments to achieve moksha or liberation through meditation and contemplation. Like many Sadhus, his ochre-colored garments are an outward sign of his religious beliefs. “I used to be not well,” he tells me in the waiting area of the Jaipur medical clinic. “But now I am fine.” Today, he has traveled to Jaipur, India to receive a replacement Jaipur foot.

I move to the sculpting area, where I meet one of the men who helps with production. Massive quantities of the foot are produced here, and hundreds of amputees travel to this clinic every month to receive a new or replacement limb. In all, more than 16,000 patients in over 20 countries receive the foot each year.

The foot was developed in 1968 by an Indian sculptor named Ram Chandra. Noticing that imported prostheses had trouble withstanding India’s monsoon season and the long hours workers spent in the fields, he sought to create a more durable product. Because most amputees are poor, he also wanted something that could be made from cheap, locally available materials. Nearly 40 years later, Chandra’s original design is still one of the world’s best in terms of durability and affordability.

The foot is produced at an average cost of $35, but patients at the clinic are treated free of charge. In the United States, a comparable synthetic leg costs around $8,000. Patients here are also given free room and board during their stay, and provided with plates, soap, hand towels, and access to washing facilities. Hari said he was compensated for the cost of transportation to and from the city because it was a great distance from his home.

The organization that distributes the Jaipur foot is called Bhagwan Mahaveer Vikland Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), a non-governmental, non-religious society that aims to provide healthcare to the poor. According to D. R. Metha, the chairman and chief patron of BMVSS, what they do is simple. “This is help, not charity.”

It is estimated that 10 million people in India—or roughly one out of every 100 people—suffer from a locomotive disability, and many of those are amputees. Every year, roughly 25,000 people lose a limb to diseases and accidents, and many of those come to the Jaipur foot factory for care.

Many of the factory workers in Jaipur are themselves recipients of the foot: This man happily demonstrated the foot’s versatility for me by hopping down a steep cement incline. He says it allows him to squat, kneel, crouch, sit cross-legged, walk on rough terrain, run, climb trees, and drive an automobile—nearly everything a natural leg can do.

Back inside, I watch as Hari Dass slips on his new leg. Holes are punched into the leather strap that attaches the prosthetic limb to his leg. Once strapped in, he flashes a hearty smile and confirms that it feels OK.

Hari's below-the-knee version of the Jaipur foot simulates the natural human anatomy. The front and heel blocks are made of rubber and the ankle block is made from a light wood, while the lower leg is made from high-density polythene pipes.

Having received his new foot, Hari grabs his bag and his old leg and thanks the men at the factory. As he turns, he smiles at me, then walks away. I watch him depart, now walking with a pain-free gait, toward home and back to his ascetic life.