Aaj jab bhi hum desh ke sabse bade aur bharosemand hospital ki baat karte hain, toh sabse pehla naam dimaag mein aata hai—AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences). Aaj poora desh yahan ilaaj karata hai aur is hospital par aankh band karke bharosa karta hai. Lekin kya aapko pata hai ki is mega-hospital ko banane ke piche ek aisi mahila ka haath tha, jise hamare itihaas ne lagbhag bhula hi diya hai?
Ji haan, mein ek behad gambhir aur aakh kholne wala mudda uthaya gaya hai jo hume unke yogdaan se rubaru karata hai.
1. Kaun Thi Yeh Shakhsiyat?
Hum baat kar rahe hain Bharat ki pehli Health Minister Rajkumari Amrit Kaur ki. Unka janam Kapurthala ke rajgharane mein hua tha. Unki padhai-likhai aam logon jaisi nahi thi; unhone Oxford se apni education poori ki thi. Ek taraf aalishan rajmahal ki zindagi thi aur dusri taraf Oxford ki padhai ke baad foreign mein settle hone ka aaram. Lekin unke dil mein desh ke liye kuch alag hi jazba tha.
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur ne apni saari daulat aur aaram ko thukra diya aur Bharat ki aazadi ki ladai mein kood padi. Woh lagbhag 16 saal tak Mahatma Gandhi ki secretary ke roop mein kaam karti rahin aur desh ki sewa mein juti rahin.
2. AIIMS Ka Sapna Aur Mushkilein
Jab desh aazad hua aur healthcare system ko sudhaarne ki baat aayi, toh Rajkumari Amrit Kaur ne ek bada medical institute (AIIMS) banane ka sapna dekha. Lekin yeh rasta itna aasan nahi tha.
- Nehru Ji Ki Naa: ke anusar, jab AIIMS hospital banane ki baat samne aayi, toh shuruat mein desh ke pehle Pradhan Mantri Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru bhi iske liye poori tarah raazi nahi the. Desh ke paas funds ki kami thi aur aisi badi chiz ko khada karna namumkin sa lag raha tha.
- Haar Nahi Mani: Lekin Rajkumari Amrit Kaur piche hatne walon mein se nahi thi. Unhone thaan liya tha ki desh ke aam logon ke liye ek world-class hospital banna hi chahiye.
3. Desh Ke Liye Sab Kuch Kurbaan
Jab sarkar ke paas budget ki dikkat thi, toh unhone duniya bhar ke alag-alag deshon se baat ki aur AIIMS ke liye funds jutana shuru kiya. Itna hi nahi, unka desh ke prati samarpanna is kadar tha ki unhone apna khud ka aalishan bangla tak narso (nurses) ke rehne ke liye daan kar diya.
Unhone apni poori zindagi desh ke naam kar di aur kabhi shaadi nahi ki. Unka har ek kadam desh ke healthcare aur samaj ko behtar banane ke liye tha.
4. Sirf Hospital Hi Nahi, Samaj Sudhaar Bhi
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur ka yogdaan sirf healthcare tak seemit nahi tha. Unhone samaj mein chal rahi bohot si buraiyon ke khilaf bhi aawaz uthayi aur unhe khatam kiya:
- Unhone aurton ko talaq ka haq (right to divorce) dilane mein bada role play kiya.
- Desh mein chal rahi Devadasi pratha ka ant karne mein unka bohot bada yogdaan tha.
5. Our Opinion: Hum Apne Asli Heroes Ko Kyun Bhool Jaate Hain? (Apni Baat)
Yahan par aakar hume thoda rukna aur sochna hoga. Aaj hum bade-bade netaon aur actors ke naam par boards aur churahe dekhte hain, par unke baare mein kitna jaante hain jinhone chupchaap desh ki buniyaad rakhi?
My Personal Take: "Hume yeh samajhna hoga ki jo desh apne asli heroes ke tyag aur balidaan ko bhool jata hai, uska aane wala bhavishya kabhi bhi apni roots se nahi jud pata. Itihaas sirf yudh jeetne walon ka nahi, balki samaj ko naye jeevan dene walon ka bhi hona chahiye."
Yeh sach mein bohot dukh ki baat hai ki itna sab kuch karne ke baad bhi hamare school ki kitaabon mein unka naam na ke barabar milta hai. Aaj ki generation ko AIIMS ke baare mein toh pata hai, par uske piche ki is 'Iron Lady' ke baare mein kuch nahi pata.