She does not carry a little torch in her hand going from bed to bed of wounded soldiers asking if they need anything, but for the 35 patients of the Sevadham Ashram located off Sinhagad road, Pratibha Paigude is no less than Florence Nightingale, either.

"I began Sevadham in the year ‘98 with a view to help those who were neglected or had no one to help them out. I wanted to work for old people, handicapped people, and even people who were mentally challenged. Basically for all those who had no one to help them. In my initial days my family members showed a little apprehension about the idea but once I started off they also joined me in my endevour,"says Pratibha Paigude

Paigude is a qualified nurse and worked with the army before getting married. Speaking about this she says, "I graduated from the Military Nursing Services and then worked in the army from 1965-74. After marriage I couldn’t devote time to nursing, however, in 1997 I floated the idea of opening my own centre to help people who couldn’t afford medical help or were bedridden or disabled. My family members had some doubts about helping disabled people but once the organisation started in 1998 there was no looking back.”

Sevadham now employs six people and takes care of 35 patients as of now. Amongst these patients are old people, disabled people, mentally challenged people and also handicapped people. The thought that urged her to go ahead with her resolve to help people was the lack of institutes to help the diabled. "When I was starting off there were many organisations around that took care of old people but there were hardly any to care of people with such special needs so I decided to start this. Besides my experience as a nurse came in handy because when we are dealing with such patients one of the few things a nurse needs is infinite patience,"she says.

Speaking more about Sevadham she says, “We also help unemployed women to get jobs. Firstly, we train them in doing basic chores, and then we help them obtain jobs as household help, maid servants, or even part time nurses. Also at the institute we have two doctors coming in to visit the patients twice in a week. We provide the patients with clean clothes good food and decent beds .”

“There were many problems that we battled through during the course of these 11 years. Most significant amongst those were of manpower, money and a good place to put up these patients. But slowly and steadily we worked our way and began to manage things. We still do not have a permanent residence of our own and we operate from a rented place. but the place is big enough to hold the 35 patients and as of now it’s going on smoothly, she shrugs with a smile.

The ones coming to her doorstep for help have to only fulfill one basic condition. “Anyone who doesn’t have money or cannot take care of some one who is disabled in their family can come here. They are welcome with open arms. For us it is not just taking care of a person but it’s a way of life. We take care of the people living here till their last breath. It is one of the most disheartening thing to see someone left untreated for want of money or better health care. We provide them with it all -no questions asked,” says she.

On the anvil for Sevadham are plans of starting a computer institute and English speaking classes for the locals of Donje Gaon (where Sevadham is located). The money from the classes will go along way in funding for Sevadham expansion. “Besides the classes will be of massive benefit for the people of the village here, “she adds.

Speaking about one of her most touching experiences she says, “We had an old lady, a retired teacher from St. Mira’s College who was bedridden. We used to go through a lot of problems to clean her bed as she was unable to even perform basic duties. So during Diwali when I asked her what she wanted as a gift she said that she wanted a rubber sheet for her bed so that the helpers wouldn’t have to clean her bed so frequently.”