Society

The Ten-Rupee Doctor Who Sparked a Health Revolution in Kerala’s Tribal Highlands

Published

3 months ago

January 6, 2026

Image credit: Dipin Damodharan/ Edpublica

Swami Vivekananda — arguably India’s most influential modern monk and one of the world’s most celebrated humanist thinkers — once said, “They alone live who live for others.” In the remote Adivasi (tribal) hamlets of Attappadi, deep in the hills of Kerala, that line is not philosophy. It is the force that quietly reshaped an entire community’s destiny.

Two decades ago, a young doctor arrived in this valley armed with nothing more than Vivekananda’s teachings and an unusual certainty: that his life’s purpose lay not in hospitals with polished floors or specialised units, but in the neglected tribal belts where even an ambulance was a distant dream. In a medical world chasing high salaries and urban careers, he walked away from all of it. Today, they call him simply: “The Ten-Rupee Doctor.”

Dr. V. Narayanan’s Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission Hospital in Agali — known locally as the 10-rupee hospital — stands as one of the most remarkable community health transformations in modern Kerala. For thousands of tribal families who once had no healthcare, the hospital is not merely a building. It is dignity restored.

The road to Attappadi coils through steep cliffs and dense forests, revealing slivers of green and shadows of mountains that appear to move with each turn. For years, headlines from this tribal hotspot in Kerala’s Palakkad district were heartbreakingly similar: child malnutrition, maternal deaths, anaemia, and a healthcare system fractured beyond recognition.

We were travelling from Kochi not to revisit that trauma, but to meet the man whose quiet, steady efforts helped change it.

When Dr. V. Narayanan arrived in 2002, Attappadi’s healthcare landscape was desolate. A few primary health centres existed in name, but medicines were scarce, staff irregular, transport unreliable, and trust nearly non-existent. Many Adivasi (tribal) families walked hours for simple ailments. Women delivering babies often did so without skilled care.

“In those early days,” he recalls, “you wouldn’t even see a bike on the road. Healthcare wasn’t inadequate — it was absent.”

But absence was precisely what he had come to confront.

How Vivekananda Became a Field Manual

The roots of his journey stretch back to his teenage years. “I was in Class 12,” he says. “It’s an age when you question everything. I began reading Vivekananda deeply. His call to serve the poor, to work in backward areas — that stayed with me.”

Medicine wasn’t his ambition. Rural development was. But his family persuaded him to study MBBS, believing it would broaden his capacity for service. It did — but only because he refused to choose the conventional path.

After completing a postgraduate programme in child health, he didn’t apply for a job. He headed straight to Attappadi — without doubts, without second thoughts. “This wasn’t a career decision,” he says. “It was a life decision.”

His first “clinic” was a mobile medical unit borrowed from the Vivekananda Medical Mission in Wayanad. Every evening he visited a different hamlet, listening to people speak about water scarcity, hunger, infections, unemployment, fear, distrust — and neglect that had accumulated over generations.

Slowly, he became a familiar figure in the valley. Mothers insisted he be the first to hold their new-borns. Elders began greeting him as one of their own.

A belonging was forming — one that medicine alone cannot create.

The Birth of the Ten-Rupee Hospital

In 2003, as patients multiplied beyond what the mobile clinic could handle, he opened a small outpatient centre in Agali. By 2006, after raising 22 lakh rupees from well-wishers and small donors, the Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission Hospital opened its doors with 10 beds, two consulting rooms, and a lab.

Its defining principle was radical: Adivasi patients would be charged only ten rupees. Always.

Administrators warned him it was economically unviable. But the doctor had seen families pushed into debt by even minor medical expenses.

“The hospital must belong to them,” he says. “Cost should never decide who lives and who dies.”

People came. Trust deepened. And trust became infrastructure.

A patient visited in the hospital says, “Here, we feel like human beings. Not cases. Not numbers. Narayanan doctor listens to us like we are his family. That is why we come.”

Another woman added softly: “When we step inside this hospital, we feel safe. There is no fear here.”

For communities long accustomed to humiliation and exploitation in medical spaces, this emotional safety mattered as much as treatment.

A Global Gap Mirrored in a Valley

Attappadi’s early struggles are not isolated. Across India, Adivasi (tribal) communities face some of the poorest health indicators — high maternal mortality, anaemia, malnutrition, tuberculosis, and limited access to skilled care.

Globally, too, Indigenous communities — from the Māori of New Zealand to Native American nations and Aboriginal groups in Australia — experience higher infant and maternal mortality, limited access to hospitals, distrust due to historic exclusion, lower life expectancy, and underfunded primary care

A 2021 UN report states that Indigenous peoples worldwide are nearly twice as likely to lack basic healthcare access. What was happening in Attappadi was part of a wider pattern — the world’s margins suffering the world’s worst health outcomes.

Dr. Narayanan stepped directly into that gap.

Healing Required More Than Hospitals

Over time, he realised medical treatment alone could not fix Attappadi’s pain.

“Pregnant women worked until delivery because they had no choice,” he says. “Many ate barely one meal a day. How can a baby survive that?”

He conducted a participatory rural appraisal across several hamlets — and what he saw changed everything. Malnutrition was linked to income instability. Illnesses persisted because basic hygiene wasn’t possible. Women were dying because poverty didn’t allow rest.

“It felt like pouring water into a pot full of holes,” he says. “We had to strengthen the pot — not just keep pouring.”

The hospital expanded into a movement that worked on, restoring nutrition, improving sanitation, supporting livelihoods, strengthening housing, reviving agriculture, education, and building self-reliance.

Village health workers — trained women and men from each hamlet — became ambassadors of preventive care. From an initial 40, tthe network has grown to nearly 130 health workers across Attappadi.

Education too became central. The Mission school today teaches 600+ children, and the valley now has young people pursuing medicine, nursing, and engineering — an unimaginable shift a decade ago.

Growing, But Never Losing Its Soul

The hospital today has 50 beds, 12 full-time doctors, and over 80 staff. Across the Mission’s programmes, more than 200 people work toward one idea: dignity. Nearly 70% of all patients remain Adivasi (tribal).

The next dream: a 100-bed hospital. Construction for new OP wings and a skill development centre has already begun.

CSR funding keeps the institution afloat, but the ten-rupee fee remains untouched.

“It will never change,” he says. “This hospital exists because of them. It must always belong to them.”

A Revolution Fuelled by Belonging

When asked what sustains him, Dr. Narayanan doesn’t speak of recognition. Instead, he points to his staff — many of whom left better-paying jobs to join the Mission.

“They believe in this work more than anything I’ve done,” he says. “I’m just one person. They are the movement.”

Two decades after he arrived here, the Ten-Rupee Doctor still walks through the corridors of his hospital with the same simplicity and calm that first won the valley’s trust.

In the world of global public health — dominated by budgets, systems, and crises — Attappadi offers a different narrative: that change is possible when a community finds a place where it is seen, heard, and treated as human.

Sometimes, revolutions don’t begin with policy. They begin with one person who refuses to turn away.

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Dipin Damodharan

Dipin is the Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of EdPublica. A journalist and editor with over 15 years of experience leading and co-founding both print and digital media outlets, he has written extensively on education, politics, and culture. His work has appeared in global publications such as The Huffington Post, The Himalayan Times, DailyO, Education Insider, and others.

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Earth

Vantara: Inside a Billionaire-Backed Bid to Build a Global Wildlife University

The launch comes at a time when conservation challenges are becoming increasingly complex.

Published

2 hours ago

April 10, 2026

EP Staff

Anant Ambani at the foundation ceremony of Vantara University in Jamnagar, India, April 2026. Image credit: Vantara.

A new private university focused on wildlife conservation and veterinary sciences is being positioned as an ambitious attempt to reshape how the world trains the next generation of conservation professionals—backed by one of Asia’s most influential business families.

The institution, Vantara University, has been launched in western India by a wildlife initiative founded by Anant Ambani, part of the Reliance group. Framed as an integrated academic ecosystem, the project reflects a growing trend where private capital is stepping into areas traditionally led by public institutions and global nonprofits.

Vantara officially describes the university as the “world’s first integrated global university” dedicated to wildlife conservation and veterinary sciences. While the scale and integration may be distinctive, similar disciplines are already taught across universities worldwide, often through specialised schools, research centres, and veterinary colleges.

The claim, therefore, rests less on the existence of such education and more on the attempt to consolidate it within a single, purpose-built institutional framework.

A Shift Toward Education-Led Conservation

The launch comes at a time when conservation challenges are becoming increasingly complex. Climate change, habitat fragmentation, and the spread of zoonotic diseases are reshaping ecosystems and exposing the limits of traditional conservation models.

There is a growing recognition that protecting biodiversity will require not just field interventions, but a systemic expansion of expertise—from wildlife veterinarians and epidemiologists to policy specialists and conservation planners.

Vantara University aims to respond to this gap by bringing together disciplines such as wildlife medicine, genetics, behavioural sciences, epidemiology, and conservation policy under one academic structure.

Blending Science, Scale, and Philosophy

The university’s vision combines scientific training with a philosophical framing rooted in compassion and stewardship. Its design draws inspiration from historical centres of learning, while positioning itself as a modern, purpose-led institution.

“The future of conservation will depend on how we prepare minds and institutions to serve life with compassion, knowledge, and skill,” Anant Ambani said in a statement.

“Vantara University is shaped by a deeply personal journey of witnessing animals in distress and recognising the need for greater capability in their care… the university seeks to nurture a new generation committed to protecting every life.”

Global Ambitions, Local Foundations

Although based in India, the project is clearly aimed at a global audience.

The university plans to offer undergraduate, postgraduate, and specialised programmes, supported by research infrastructure and international collaborations. It also emphasises action-oriented learning, linking academic work with real-world conservation practices.

This approach reflects a broader shift in higher education, where institutions are increasingly expected to produce not just knowledge, but deployable expertise.

The Rise of Private Influence in Conservation

The initiative also highlights a larger structural shift: the growing role of private capital in shaping conservation agendas.

Historically, conservation has been driven by governments, multilateral agencies, and non-profit organisations. However, large-scale funding gaps and the urgency of environmental crises are opening the door for philanthropic and corporate actors to play a more prominent role.

This raises both opportunities and questions.

Private initiatives can accelerate innovation and investment, but they also bring concerns around governance, accountability, and long-term alignment with public interest.

Questions of Access and Impact

As with many specialised institutions, accessibility will be a critical test.

While the university has announced scholarships aimed at supporting students from diverse backgrounds, the broader question remains: can such models scale inclusively, particularly for communities most directly affected by environmental change?

The effectiveness of the initiative will also depend on its ability to influence policy, contribute to global research, and produce professionals equipped to address complex ecological challenges.

A Changing Conservation Landscape

The launch of Vantara University signals a deeper transition in how conservation is being imagined.

Increasingly, the field is moving beyond isolated interventions toward integrated systems that connect science, education, and practice. In this context, universities are not just centres of learning—they are becoming critical infrastructure in the fight to preserve biodiversity.

Whether this particular model succeeds will depend on execution, collaboration, and its ability to move beyond vision into measurable impact.

But its emergence underscores a central reality:

The future of conservation may depend as much on classrooms and laboratories as it does on forests and protected areas.

Health

Lancet Commission Launched to Tackle Health and Justice Impacts of Rising Sea Levels

A new Lancet Commission will examine how rising sea levels impact health, equity, and global systems, with experts calling it an urgent crisis.

Published

2 days ago

April 8, 2026

EP Staff

Lancet Commission Launched to Tackle Health and Justice Impacts of Rising Sea Levels

Image credit: Andres Ayala s/Unsplash

A new global commission led by The Lancet has been launched to examine the growing health and justice impacts of sea-level rise, as climate change accelerates risks for millions living in coastal and low-lying regions.

The Lancet Commission on Sea-Level Rise, Health and Justice, announced on April 8, brings together 26 international experts to assess how rising seas are reshaping public health, livelihoods, and global equity.

A Growing Crisis Beyond Climate

Sea-level rise, driven by anthropogenic climate change, is already contributing to displacement, food and water insecurity, and changing patterns of infectious diseases. The Commission marks the first major effort to analyse these intersecting risks through a health-focused lens.

“This commission comes at exactly the right time… sea-level rise is no longer a distant threat. It is already disrupting lives, health and wellbeing, especially for the most vulnerable,” said Christiana Figueres, Co-Chair of the Commission and a former UN climate chief.

Experts warn that the impacts extend far beyond environmental damage, affecting the social and economic fabric of vulnerable communities.

“Rising seas don’t just threaten coastlines, they threaten lives, livelihoods, and basic fairness. This is not only a climate problem. It is a health crisis, a justice crisis, and an urgent call for collective action,” said Jemilah Mahmood, Commissioner, Lancet Commission, and Executive Director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, Malaysia.

An Urgent Global Health Challenge

The Commission is supported by the WHO Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health and aims to generate evidence-based policy recommendations to strengthen adaptation, resilience, and equitable responses.

Dr Sandro Demaio, Director of WHO ACE, emphasised the immediacy of the crisis.

“Sea-level rise is no longer a distant threat — it is a public health emergency unfolding now. Through this WHO supported global Commission, we are clear: inaction is not neutral, it is a choice that puts lives and justice at risk.”

Human Impacts at the Core

The Commission also highlights the disproportionate burden on vulnerable populations, particularly in coastal and low-income regions.

“Rising sea levels are more than an environmental issue; they quietly contaminate water, displace communities, and increase health risks for those least able to cope. Every centimetre of sea level rise is not just a measure of water, but a measure of injustice,” said Kathryn Bowen, Co-Chair of the Commission.

A Defining Policy Moment

With projections suggesting that hundreds of millions of people could be displaced by the end of the century, the Commission aims to inform global policy and strengthen international cooperation.

“Sea-level rise is not just an environmental issue — it is a test of our commitment to people, equity, and future generations,” said Jiho Cha, Member of Parliament, Republic of Korea and Co-Chair of the Commission.

The Commission will contribute to global policy discussions, including international climate platforms, and aims to place human and planetary health at the centre of climate action.

Society

Why Campuses Need a Happiness Officer Now

Rising student stress and depression highlight the need for a happiness officer on campus to promote wellbeing and prevent mental health crises.

Published

1 week ago

March 31, 2026

Dr Rajesh K Pillania, Professor, MDI, Gurgaon

Student Stress Is Rising. Campuses Need a Happiness Officer

Image credit: Adedire Abiodun/Pexels

As student stress and mental health challenges rise, educational institutions must move beyond symbolic gestures and invest in structured wellbeing systems—starting with a dedicated happiness officer on campus.

The rising need for happiness

20 March was celebrated as the International Day of Happiness.

The idea of creating an International Day of Happiness is a great one; it deserves to be taken seriously. However, there is a need to do much more than celebrate happiness for just one day a year. This becomes crucial when one considers the rising problem of stress, depression and suicides among young people around the world, including in India.

The challenges of stress, depression and suicides among students

The education system places significant pressure on students, yet they are rarely taught how they, their parents, teachers or the system itself can help them cope with this pressure—or how to view their efforts in the right perspective.

Because of a lack of awareness, education and capability, stress has become a major issue in students’ lives, often leading to depression and, in some cases, suicides. These challenges have far-reaching negative impacts across different aspects of life, as supported by multiple research studies.

A happiness officer on campus

Since happiness is an essential ingredient for a fulfilling life—and also acts as a preventive factor in dealing with stress—it is important to give it greater importance in educational institutions.

Institutions already place heavy demands on faculty and staff, who may not have the time to actively focus on student wellbeing. In this context, employing a dedicated happiness officer to address health and wellbeing on campus could be a significant step forward.

India’s Campuses Need a Happiness Officer to Tackle Student Stress — *Image credit: RDNE Stock Project/Pexels*

The happiness officer’s primary responsibility should be to raise awareness about happiness, as well as the dangers of stress and depression, among students, faculty, staff and others on campus. This awareness must be continuous rather than occasional.

The second responsibility should be to organise regular programmes in engaging ways, covering themes such as what happiness is, why it matters, and how it can be cultivated, alongside practical approaches to understanding, avoiding and managing stress.

who is a happiness officer — *Illustration/ Credit: S James/EdPublica*

The third responsibility should be to track individuals who may be experiencing stress or depression and ensure they receive timely support. Additional responsibilities can be developed depending on the needs and context of each institution.

Avoiding the trap of tokenism

However, awareness initiatives and programmes must be implemented with sincerity and intent. The happiness officer must work in both letter and spirit to create meaningful impact, rather than simply fulfilling formal requirements.

This role should not fall into the common institutional trap where ticking boxes becomes more important than creating real change on the ground.