Subhasini Mistry

Subhasini Mistry (born 1943) is an Indian social worker. She became a widow at the age of 23 and was left with four children. She struggled in life working as a house maid, selling vegetables and worked as a manual labourer. She went on to build a charitable hospital called "Humanity Hospital" for the poor. In 2018, the Government of India awarded her the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in recognition of her social work.[1][2][3][4][5][6] She was also among one of the 12 recipients of the Women Transforming India Awards in 2017.

The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Padma Shri Award to Smt. Subasini Mistry, at the Civil Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi (2018).

Early life and works

Subhasini Mistry was born in 1943 in Kulwa village in Kolkata into a poor farmer's family. She was married at the age of 12. Her husband, a vegetable vendor, died 12 years later because he was unable to get medical help for a common ailment. He left her to look after four children. Soon after his death, Mistry decided that she would not let anyone else face the same kind of difficulties that her husband had to face due to lack of access to healthcare. A young widow without any education, she worked as a manual labourer, vegetable vendor and domestic help for 20 years, and earned a little more than 100 rupees a month. She spent some money on her son Ajay's education and where he finally was able to attend medical school and became a medical doctor. In 1992, after many years of saving money, she used her lifelong savings to buy an acre of land in Hanspukur village. She finally opened a one-room clinic and soon her son joined as a doctor.[7] In 1993, the clinic treated 250 people with volunteer doctors and expanded into a hospital in 1995. Today, the Humanity Hospital has since expanded into a 45-bed hospital that spread over three acres and has the best of medical equipment. She currently owns two hospitals, one located in her husband's village in Hanskhali, Nadia district, and another at Sundarbans.[8]

For her dedication to serving the society at various platforms, she won the prestigious Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Award in the mind-of-steel category in 2009, and also has been awarded the country's fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Shri in 2018.[9]

References
  1. "Government announces recipients of 2018 Padma awards". The Times of India. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  2. "Meet Padma Shri Awardee Suhasini Mistry, Who Built a Charitable Hospital Out of Nothing". Sujit Nath. New18.com. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  3. "She worked as brick-layer and maid to build hospital for the poor". NDTV. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  4. "Subhashini Mistry". Unsung. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  5. Jeroninio Almeida & Jyoti Nanda (4 January 2014). Karma Kurry: for the mind, body, heart & soul. Jaico Publishing House. pp. 97–. ISBN 978-81-8495-403-6. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  6. "Women's Day special: 70-year-old vegetable seller builds hospital for the poor". India Today. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  7. Jun 20, Shamayita Chakraborty / TNN / Updated; 2020; Ist, 11:32. "Kolkata doctor turns boat into chamber for Amphan and corona affected | Kolkata News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-11-19.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. "No one should die because they are poor: Subhasini Mistry - Times of India". The Times of India. 28 January 2018.
  9. "Won't let anyone die untreated, says Padma Shri Subhasini Mistry, founder of Bengal's Humanity Hospital". The New Indian Express. 3 February 2018.
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