by Dr. John Carmo Rodrigues
johncdrr@sancharnet.in
If I have achieved anything in life today, it is because of other people. I had the good fortune to have worked for a very large German chemical complex that manufactured over 20,000 products, starting from aviation spirits to underwater welding works. My doing so was made possible because of the good education and upbringing given to me by my parents.
Maximization of profits is the goal of every commercial organization. The company I worked for was a bit different. The slogan of this company was ‘People Matter Most’, and so each time we did something, it made us conscious that we did it to improve the quality of life of other people. It is because other people appreciated my work that I rose up in this company to occupy a responsible position. It is because of others, that I was placed in a position where I handled the marketing of their range of pharmaceuticals, veterinary, pesticide and diagnostic divisions. Most of the work I did was in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharastra and Madhya Pradesh. It is because of the position I held 30 years back and my good fortune, that I had the opportunity to meet people like Dr. Bhattacharya, the Director of Indian Council of Agriculture Research at Ella, Old Goa, Dr. H.Y. Karapurkar who was the Director of Agriculture of Goa for 12 years, Dr. Estibeiro, the Director of Medical Health Services of Goa, his brother, who was Director of Rural Development Agency and later the Director of Agriculture in Goa, and Dr. Kakodkar, Director of Animal Husbandry in Goa. It is because of their support and cooperation that I could carry out many developmental programs in these diverse fields in Goa.
I was invited to be a member of the Rotary Club of Margao. I decided to accept the invitation because of the beautiful motto ‘Service before Self’. When I was the President of Rotary Club of Margao, the Theme for the Year was ‘Look Beyond Yourself’, and the following year, ‘Real Happiness is Helping Others’. It is because of the confidence and trust placed in me by the members of the Rotary Club, that I was elected as Secretary, and later President, of the Club. It is because of the support of the Board of Directors and the members that I had the opportunity to carry out a number of programs.
Let me admit that whenever I tried to carry out programs on my own, I have been a failure. For example, when I took voluntary retirement twenty years back, I had set ideas of what I thought I could do. For a number of years, the Gaudis of Baida, the adjoining ward of Chinchinim, had worked in our property. I thought it was a good idea to start a Voluntary Organisation and carry out programs to improve their health and financial position. Konkan Sevadham, the organisation I set up, undertook programs in association with Caritas and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. At that time, the youth of the landless labourers of Baida were resorting to unsociable activities during the daytime and robbing coconuts during the night. I felt if we set up a carpentry unit it would keep the youth occupied and give them gainful employment. I was proved wrong. The youth enlisted their names but were not regular in attending the classes. When we carried out a nutrition program for pregnant and lactating mothers and undernourished children, we found that some of the items we distributed, like fortified soya meal and milk powder, were either sold to others or used to feed the pigs or poultry. We built a residential colony for the landless labourers - when we transferred the houses to their names, some of the houses were sold to others. The consolation was that some of the programs like medical camps, supply of drinking water, smokeless chullas, setting up of toilets, and providing a T.V. for the recreation centre were a success.
Having been associated with the medical field for over 30 years,
it was my belief that people were taking a lot of unnecessary medicines for
minor aliments which harmed them by lowering their body resistance and these
people were often victims of iatrogenic diseases. I thought of correcting the
situation by setting up a Yoga Therapy Centre, which would not only improve
the physical health of the people at large, but also improve their mental health
and help to improve the memory and concentration of the children. This was not
a success as people were too busy with their daily routine and they had no time
for yoga or self-improvement. So you see, it is the people who matter most.
You can help people only to the extent they want to be helped.
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John Carmo Rodrigues, a graduate in Medical Microbiology from the Bombay University, worked for ‘HOECHST’, Mumbai, for 30 years He was a founder member of the Konkani Mandal of St. Xavier’s College, Bombay and designed its emblem. He took premature retirement to return to Chinchinim, Goa in 1986. He has authored three books and has a variety of interests including yoga and winemaking.