Ask a tea waala
what’s the way to Dalli Rajhara
he will offer laal chai for free
and say, go straight and turn left
Ask a worker
what’s the way to Dalli Rajhara
he will sing you a song
that reminds you of an another world
Ask a farmer
what’s the way to Dalli Rajhara
he will give you grains
so you don’t go hungry that day
Ask an Adivasi
what’s the way to Dalli Rajhara
he will invite you home
and lull you to a mohua ridden sleep.
Ask a vagabond
what’s the way to Dalli Rajhara
he will hand you a ticket
so ancient that its train, long gone
Ask a fascist
what’s the way to Dalli Rajhara
he will deny its existence
and shoo you away with a gun
Ask a union man
what’s the way to Dalli Rajhara
he will give you tools to fight
and tell you to figure out on your own
Ask a poet
what’s the way to Dalli Rajhara
he will show rare yellow flowers
and say it’s right in the heart of yours
Shaheed Hospital (Dalli Rajhara, Chhattisgarh) emerged out of a trade union movement in 1983. The hospital was named after the martyrs killed in police firing during a protest. Soon — this initiative of the politically oriented health workers, activists, labourers and peasants evolved into a people’s health movement, that stood under a green-red flag symbolizing the worker-peasant alliance.
Many chronicles circulate here. From lips to ears, the history is passed down. The story of how Shaheed Hospital was built within days, as the workers stopped working in the mines and flocked to build the hospital.
(A photo of the time the hospital was built, taken by the author from a photo album in the Shaheed hospital office)
Another story about how Shaheed Hospital was denied electricity, and a protest erupted with the workers downing their tools and refusing to work until the authorities back off.
Everyone carries a story, a snippet of history.
(Photo of Shankar Guha Niyogi, the trade union leader who helped mobilise the making of the hospital - in one of the staff rest rooms in Shaheed Hospital)
About a 150-bed hospital with wards for surgery, medicine, and obstetrics & gynecology, the hospital relies solely on the workers and peasants of Dalli Rajhara and surrounding towns and villages. Its charges are minimal to suit the incomes of the people here. The administration is largely run by the trade union leaders of the mines.
(Staff of Shaheed Hospital performing a streetplay in a nearby village)
(Photo of Shaheed Hospital at night)
Edited by Christianez Ratna Kiruba
Image by Rohith M
