JHARKHAND: A cancer patient since 2002, Rishi Ajatshatru, has turned a motivational speaker who inspires others like him to lead a happy and healthy life. Rishi not only conducts regular yoga sessions for the cancer patients but also organises events like ‘Chai for Cancer’ and collects money for cancer patients through crowdfunding.
Rishi says when he was first informed about his disease, he became extremely depressed. His life, however, changed suddenly after he met Dr S H Advani at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai. The doctor told him: “Is bimari se to nahin maroge, lekin iske naam se mat mar jana, (you are not going to die of the disease, but don’t die in its name).”
Those lines changed his life. “Before being diagnosed with the disease, I attended a few sessions of Art of Living which I continued further and gradually became Art of Living teacher. Then I started teaching people yoga and meditation. I am also taking yoga sessions at the All India Cancer Patients’ event organised every year, where I am also invited to encourage patients to regularly practise yoga which will help them in their recovery besides keeping them physically fit,” said Rishi.
His is a non-curable disease, but he has proved that one can lead a normal life through regular medication and meditation. He suffers from Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) due to which the white blood corpuscles (WBC) becomes cancerous and kills the red blood corpuscles (RBC), leading to shortage of blood in the body.
Recalling his journey, Rishi said, “There was a thin chance of my survival but I continued with the Art of Living sessions and stated doing regular meditation and ‘sudarshan kriya’,which played a major role in bringing my life nearly back on track,” said Rishi.
People suffering from CML generally have to take a medicine, Gleevec, every day. It costs around Rs 4,000 a tablet, which is impossible for a common person to continue beyond a certain time. Max Foundation provides this medicine free but one has to go to Mumbai physically to bring the medicine, he said.
“While visiting Mumbai regularly, I saw several poor people unable to bear the expenses of travelling to Mumbai to bring the medicine. Therefore, I started collecting money through crowdfunding by organising an event called ‘Chai for Cancer’ where we offer tea against which people give us donations. People donate as high as Rs 25,000 for a cup of tea,” said Rishi. This money is used for those who cannot afford travelling to Mumbai for bringing their medicine,” he said.
“The Max Foundation also organises the All India Cancer Patient’s Event where I go as a speaker and motivate people,” said Rishi. His yoga sessions are held in Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad, besides jails across Jharkhand, he added.
Local businessman Mohit Chopra, who is also a volunteer in Rishi’s team, said that more than 19,000 CML patients, registered with the Max Foundation all over India, are being supported by it.
“Rishi gives all credit to the Max Foundation, which helped him with medicines and proper treatment and secondly; and to the Art of Living, which enabled him to lead a normal life with yoga and pranayaam, which he is trying to take further to other CML patients,” said Chopra.
Being a friend of Rishi, Chopra is associated with him and supports him in organising the events like ‘Chai for Cancer, and the All India Cancer Patients Event, he added.
Rishi is organising ‘Chai for Cancer’ programme by offering tea to the people through which he raises funds which go to the Max Foundation which further provides free medicines for the needy cancer patients. Besides, he also actively takes part in meetings organised for cancer patients,” said Chopra.
Another volunteer, Kunal Chaudhary said that Rishi himself is a CML patient who received treatment from doctors in Mumbai and is keeping well for two decades. He is now helping other such patients by raising funds for the Max Foundation, which in turn is providing free medicines for the needy CML patients, he added.
Inspiring words from the doctor
Rishi became depressed after learning that he suffers from Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Dr S H Advani at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai told him: “Is bimari se to nahin maroge, lekin iske naam se mat mar jana.” That advice changed his outlook.