 |
| Dr. Ashok Kembhavi TATA Mumbai Marathon |
 |
Life often brings us in touch with amazing people. People who defy what life throws at them, endure hardships and emerge victorious! Their hardships, their tough routes and their climb to achievement fill us with pride and admiration. Their stories teach us lessons, have us reflect on our privileges and maybe even question our own altruism. Can I as an individual see myself selflessly giving to others? What is it that drives this person to make their self-appointed mission a thing to do forever?
One such individual, Dr. Ashok Kembhavi, is the Hero of this blogpost. And, as you will learn, a real Hero to many, many more who are unheard and unseen. Let me tell you his story. To start with, let's try and imagine where Dr. Ashok Kembhavi was born and brought up. We close our eyes and take a bird's flight above the city of Mumbai. Nestled between the posh, up market localities of the Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mahim and Sion lies its complete antithesis. Large areas of impoverished, broken-down hutments. We have reached Dharavi - the world's largest slum settlement. For those of you who don't know Mumbai well enough to have accompanied me on our imaginary flight, do you remember the slums shown in the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire'? This is where Ashok grew up.
We can well imagine young Ashok living with his parents and siblings in a tiny home which didn't have enough room for everyone in the family to sleep indoors. Then there is the noise, the squalor, the pollution, the general cacophony of a densely populated area where residences are a thin wall across shops, auto repair garages, small scale industries. Where everything from security, health, availability of water and electricity would and could be compromised daily. Due to this space crunch, Dr. Ashok had to opt to sleep on the streets and study under the streetlights. He studied in a Kannada medium Municipal school until his 11th grade and then worked his way into one of the most prestigious Science colleges of Mumbai, Ruparel college to do his 12th grade. In India the 10th and 12th grades are very important to determine a student's trajectory in their careers. After becoming a merit lister (the crème de la crème) of the thousands of students who give this exam, he then joined the Grant Medical College, JJ Hospital and did his M.B.B.S. and D.V.D (Diploma in Dermatology and Venereology).
His education followed with a government job as a medical officer which he undertook for 20 years till 1991. But from 1978, since Dharavi and its people mattered the most to him, he also worked part time in his own clinic there. The government job meant that he was living a good life, making a decent salary and his capabilities and hard work had helped him reach what one would consider that he had bridged the large divide of classes. He had made his way into a new social, cultural and financial level of existence. Most people would have been happy there but Dr. Ashok knew that he had more to do. He figured that the government job was standing in the way of his real dream, to serve the people of Dharavi completely. So, in 1991, he gave up his job and security and started working full-time at the Clinic. The people's living conditions, the health issues and financial hardships they faced, was now not in his rear-view mirror while driving elsewhere but right there in front of him. That was a poignant moment, a coming home of sorts.
From then onwards, Dr. Ashok Kembhavi sees 150-200 patients every day. Most of his patients can't afford to pay him the minimum fee. This used to be as low are Rs.10 earlier and these days it's Rs.20- Rs.50. They get treated nevertheless. He has a full day practice where he gets to work at 9am and doesn't get back to his home in Powai earlier than 10pm. His generosity doesn't end here. As he has grown up in Dharavi and knows firsthand that education is the way to opportunities that lead out of poverty, he has plunged himself in taking up educating the children of Dharavi when he can. These selected kids are usually children of his patients. His help could mean paying part or all of their fees, helping with buying college books, school uniforms etc. Dr Ashok also sometimes goes to the colleges around Dharavi and Bandra and requests the principals to reduce the fees for these students. Today, there are some Doctors, Nurses, Engineers, Graduates and a Lawyer amongst those he helped. He is happily doing all this on his own.
By now, as you can imagine, I'm gobsmacked by this person who is talking to me on a WhatsApp call. I nearly forget that I heard about him because he is a runner. That was supposed to be the focus of this piece, so I start to probe in that direction. That fitness journey began because he was starting to feel breathless around the age of 52. He noticed some rise in his blood pressure and decided to increase his physical activities to be able to go on without any medicines. It was just about the end of 2002 and he decided to do the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in January 2003. He started practicing for that race and ran the 7kms 'Fun Run'. That felt more like a 'Fun Walk' for Dr. Kembhavi. He decided to do the 21kms the following year. Which he then completed every year from 2004 to 2020. His other runs include the Delhi Marathon (21kms) which he did for 3 years, the Powai Hiranandani 21kms and the Thane Hiranandani 21kms. From 2008 till date, Ashok also participates in the Bengaluru T.C.S 10kms every year. It was only from 2020 that he decided to stick to 10kms runs. He still walks, runs regularly and cycles, waking up at 5am to keep himself fit for the long days ahead. Some photos of Dr. Ashok participating in different marathons over the years and support coming in from friends and family. 
      When I further discussed with him about his projects and if he is out there on social media, the answer is no. He admits that he isn't a tech-savvy person and only recently he switched from the press-button Nokia mobile phone to a smartphone. You get by that the man isn't someone doing anything to be seen or for fame. He doesn't consider what he is doing as charity. It's his mission, his duty. His future project is founded on the sturdy base of love and security that his parents gave him in his childhood. Driven to the city of Mumbai due to drought and hoping for a better life, Mr. Ramchandra and Mrs. Basamma, his parents, travelled from Bijapur like several thousands of migrants do even today. Mr. Ramchandra managed to find a menial job in the Indian Railways, as a welder. He welded engine wheels for 33 years and thus managed to educate and tend to the needs of his family. While this gave him some pocket money, very little of his father's salary went into his own education. Thanks to his great scores throughout his studies, Dr. Ashok obtained several fee waivers. Since money was tight, his father used to bring him homemade meals made with love by his mother during lunch breaks. So, funds were few but love was aplenty. Inspired by these memories, Dr. Ashok would like to use his ancestral home in Dharavi as a 'Reading Room'. Even if very small, this will be a space that will serve as a haven of peace for aspiring students. A room where any child can walk in and study in a quiet environment. This 'Kembhavi Reading Room' would be dedicated to his parents. This 74-year-old humble, generous and discreet man deserves so much respect. I nudge him and his supportive wife Mrs. Malathi Kembhavi to share their email at least because it is only fair that anyone who desires to assist in the cause, should have a means to reach them. They've done well and so much on their own over the years and ask that they be contacted if the intention is to help educate the children of Dharavi or to contribute to the betterment of its people. There's always a need for educating students in a place like Dharavi, because the percentage of drop outs due to non-payment of fees or the challenges of being one of the first generation of learners in a family is huge. Dr. Ashok and Mrs. Malathi can be contacted on malathikembhavi@gmail.com
I trust that this beautiful story will have disconnected you, my lovely readers, from your daily lives for long enough to take it all in and inspire you in some way. From Dharavi to Dharavi, from living there, to giving there.... Liked what you read Similar posts here https://lekhawrites.blogspot.com/2025/04/retirement-reset-reinvent-rebirth.html and here https://lekhawrites.blogspot.com/2025/04/inspirational-senior-mr-surendra.html and here https://lekhawrites.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-go-getter-mr-ramachandran.html |
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
