Men may come and go, but only stalwarts are destined to born and make achievements. To achieve their goals, they struggle, suffer and sacrifice themselves for the cause of others or to work for the mission of the life they had choosen. Such came Late Professor T.N.JAGADISAN, the pioneer, doyen of social work and an eminent scholar and social worker, who started his career as a Lecturer of English. Being affected by non infective type of leprosy at his young age when he just started his work as a Lecturer of English, first in Alwaye,Kerala, then continued in Madurai and later at Annamalai University, Chidambaram, he had to take up leprosy work to see the fulfilment of his life .
The very first patch of leprosy that appeared on his forealm shattered his life as in the primitive years, there was no effective treatments available and leprosy has been considred as a dreaded disease. It has became the main topic or issue of discussion in the College where he worked and Mr.Jagadisan was psychologically affected much. But, at once, he consoled himself and determined to relinquish his teaching post and take it as his life’s challenge to work for the cause of leprosy eradication and for the welfare of leprosy affected persons. Single minded devotion, selfless dedication and bubbling interest he evinced made it easy to achieve his goal. To attain this, he travelled a long way of mental stress, hurdles and health problems often, but at last his will power succeeded.
When he was working in Annamalai University, he was attracted by the eloquence and steadfastness of the Silver-tongued orator, the Right Honourable V. S. Srinivasa Sastriar, the then Senator of the University and became his devotee or disciple. This took him to know of many great personalities and freedom fighters of the olden days. To crown all these was to had the darshan and to hear of Gandhiji addressing a gathering in a reputed school at Parangipettai in Chidambaram Taluk. Then,Mr.Jagadisan not even dreamt of seeing Gandhiji in person later with regard to the establishment of the leprosy centre that he was destined to start.
As Mr Jagadisan felt the pain of leprosy and the prejudice attached to it which badly infected the society, he make it as his soul of life to work for the cause of leprosy. Whenever he was there at Chennai to get treated for his disease, the co patients in the leprosy department he had seen were mostly from Gingee Taluk. That he wanted to start his work for leprosy in this area as leprosy was active then here and with the help of Dr.Cochrane, he prepared a proposal and through Mr Thakkar Bapa he got an appointment to meet Gandhiji along with the doctor . Dr Sushila Nayar helped for this by her special interest. February25th,1945 was the auspicious or golden day for Mr Jagadisan as he was standing in front of the Father of the Nation in Wardha.
Though Gandhiji was observing silence that day, he wrote on a paper, giving a warm reception to Mr.Jagadisan and his team. The next day, he had a very vivid discussion with them and whole-heartedly blessed Mr Jagadisan and approved his proposal to start a leprosy hospital in Tamilnadu as one of the Branches of the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust for which Gandhiji was the Founder and the first Chairman.
The Kasturba Kushta Nivaran Nilayam was set to work on 26th February 1946, thus it has completed 68 years of an yeoman service in the field of leprosy eradication. As the disease has rapidly diminished, it is high time that the Centre deviates its activities on para medical, educational and some other fields. Each and everyone of the beneficiaries of the Centre bow in reverence before Late Professor Jagadisan, the Founder and Father of the Centre who litted lights in the life of many human beings. The Centre salutes him.