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| Forgotten lepers find solace at Leper Colony | | | Saqib Ahmad
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Dec 19: Mohammad Maqbool (name changed), a leper was left by the family members at the Leper Colony on the outskirts of Srinagar 40-years ago. Since then his family members and relatives have disowned him.
Maqbool, 45, a resident of Ladakh, says he was then five-year-old when his family members left him there. Since then his family member or relative had seldomly come there to see him but were reluctant to take him back to the native place.
"Initially, my family members were reluctant to take back as social stigma was associated with this disease. Now I have only my sister in my family, who is married and could not bear the travel expenses to come to meet me," he said.
He has also married there but the couple is childless. "Had my family members taken back, I would not have been here," he said, in a feeble voice.
About 70 families of the leper patients are living in a secluded colony. The heads of these families have been abandoned by their families or relatives years back.
Another man from Jammu has been staying at the Lepar Colony for the past 30-years. "I am from Rajouri. The family members and other relatives came few times to see me over these years. I consider this place my home and want to die here," he said.
However, he says he seldom goes to Rajouri to see his married sister.
It is generally believed that such type of patients carry stigma in social life. Their kith and kin refuse to own them though this disease has been controlled and won't spread to others.
Most of the lepers are above 60-years of age and are suffering from different ailments like blindness, paralysis and some of them are walking on crutches.
The colony was established by Britishers in 1891 for lepers who were ostracized by the society. Although government has constructed the houses for these people to live in, but mud houses, constructed by the Britishers are still the only shelter for some of them.
Many among the abandoned lepers have married and have children. "We have 25 children here and few are studying in colleges and higher secondary schools. This disease has been controlled now and our children are safe from it," another leper patient said, who is staying there for over four decades.
He said like the families members of some of the lepers, government has completely neglected them. "It seems we are a rejected lot either of families or the government," he says.
"Today we feel social stigma is not associated with this disease as people of the surrounding area come here and interact with us," he said.
He said that they had to beg before people to collect money to pay their children's fees as Social Welfare Department was not paying them scholarships to study.
"We have to collect money from charity to pay the study expenses on our children," he said.
They demanded a regular scholarship for their children so they could carry their studies forward.
The colony is without fencing and inmates said the thieves and drunkards are on prowl there during the night hours.
"We feel scared to venture out of our homes during the evening hours," they said. |
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