Seema's Story
Growing up, I wanted to be either a teacher or a doctor. I eventually settled on the latter option — but not because it would make me more money. I became a doctor because I knew it would allow me to do the most good.
I have always wanted to help people and be of service to society. Perhaps because of this attitude, I have been successful in my profession, and I’ve even been asked to appear on a television show to talk about the latest breakthroughs in medical treatment and technology. This experience became an unexpected turning point for me. When the show aired, a man from a rural area saw it, and he reached out to me. He told me that the hospitals where he lived had no such resources, and that people were too poor to afford the kind of medical breakthroughs I had discussed on TV. It was a moment of truth. I was forced to confront the fact that we are not all treated as equals. Even within the same country, modern facilities are often accessible to urban dwellers, while residents of rural areas frequently receive outdated and inadequate care, and the disparity this creates between them is largely ignored. It was then that I decided: from then on, I would concentrate my efforts on the rural folks who needed them most.
After some research, I realised that real rural empowerment is only possible when a strong emphasis is made on education and health. Education doesn't necessarily mean just what is taught in the school curriculum — it is also about giving kids the right counselling and guidance. For example, many rural children drop out of school, so I try to guide them in the right direction with workshops and customised counselling sessions — effectively bringing them back into school, identifying their innate talents, and helping them to hone them into skills.
When it comes to health, rural populations unfortunately often rely on traditional medicine, which prevents many diseases from being diagnosed until the terminal stages. To combat this, I established health camps on a regular basis, which help to ensure proper diagnoses and treatment, as well as workshops to educate people about nutrition, cleanliness, and hygiene. Since I am a doctor, I am well aware of government assistance programs and crowd funding opportunities from the hospitals, and I put them to use wherever I can. In some cases, I spend from my own pocket.
There’s another venture I’ve undertaken, and it may be the one that touches my heart the most. It has to do with electricity — something most of us view as a bare necessity of life. Although many people cannot imagine existing without it, there are millions in the world for whom it is still a luxury. While I was working with the schools, I regularly received complaints from teachers about kids who were intelligent but not hard working. When I got in touch with a few of these students to determine what the problem was, I discovered they only had five hours of electricity a day (two hours in the morning and three hours in the evening). That meant they had to wake up very early to help their parents in the farm and then go directly to school, and by the time they made it back home in the evening the electricity was off again. They could not do much studying with the kerosene lamp because it irritated their eyes and gave them breathing problems.
This is when I hit upon the solution. I decided to lead by example, so I started distributing solar lamps. I have managed to completely electrify four villages so far, and the initiative is now expanding to the other villages. I’ve raised more than half of the money for the project, and I have contributed to it from my own savings. Again, it’s never been about the money for me — it’s about the feeling I get when I see kids get on the right path, when I see them smile with happiness. It’s more than mere satisfaction — it’s complete contentment. After all, what is the use of earning a lot of money if you cannot spend on the things you care about?
For more about Seema, check out her website.
Artist Notes
“Empowering someone literally means showing them the path of light. So literally and figuratively, the hero in this picture is being a light in somebody’s life (specifically to rural folks by concentrating on their health and education). In the later part of her story, she talks of distributing solar lights to people in the villages, which I have tried to represent with a lady in a flowing gown of soft colours with a small light in her hand. In an abstract way, I have tried to represent auroras and houses that could be found in country side landscapes in any part of the world. I chose to include the northern lights because of its colours—generally green, blue and yellow—which are peaceful and nurturing hues.”
Published Jan 1, 2020
Updated Jul 31, 2023
Published in Issue IV: Activism