somewhere in the Indian Ocean, with lemurs frolicking amidst the palms, as shown in the animated movie of the same name. The vision was exotic and the opportunity to offer humanitarian services under the banner of Rotary in this beautiful island, once in a lifetime. So,when the opportunity arose to go on this mission, without a moment’s hesitation, I volunteered. At that moment, job, family, creature comforts, familiar surroundings, etc, took a back seat. What was important was the chance to make a start in fulfilling my obligations as a committed Rotarian and to justify my presence in this prestigious organisation. The screening of the team members and subsequent selections – all happened soon. Thereafter, I was in the team with eleven other members, all eminent professionals, from the two districts of 3291 and 3240. Finally, Team Madagascar comprised of two anaesthetists, two surgeons, two gynaecologists, one ENT specialist, one endoscopist, one dentist and not to forget, the three ophthalmologists. It was a fairly balanced team, with the ability to cater to most of the prevailing ailments found on such missions.By early August, things were rolling, with a deluge of correspondence via mails, telephones and then, the flash news on August 26 – Political turmoil in Madagascar. Andy Rajoelina, the sacked mayor of Antananarivo (capital of the Republic of Madagascar) upstages the elected president Marc Ravalomanana amidst gunfire and bloodshed. As a counter-reaction, a personal ban is clamped on travel to such trouble torn parts of the world by family and friends. But, in the meanwhile, a feeling of solidarity had crept in, a team spirit had been ignited and a sense of oneness and loyalty had developed among a group of people I did not know and had never met in my entire life! If the others in the team could risk personal security and venture out of their comfort zones to follow their hearts , then why not me? With this firm resolution to somehow make it to this trip, the next step was to do a little research on the place.
Madagascar is, to my surprise, the fourth largest island in the world. Location wise, it lies across the Mozambique Channel, off the south eastern coastline of South Africa. It had separated from the mainland millions of years ago. Due to this isolation, it has remained a bio-diversity hot spot, with 80% of the island’s flora and fauna indigenous and unique to the place. The primates, particularly the lemurs, the exotic birds and orchids and the six species of the legendary Baobab tree have been the main attraction for ecotourists, along with its inherent natural scenic beauty of a long coastline and rich green rainforests. The island has abundant resources of semi-precious and precious gem stones, is officially the highest producer of vanilla and has good yields of coffee, cocoa, cloves, rice, sugarcane, etc.
The mission to Madagascar is the third in the series, having successfully completed two others – to Sierra Leone (2007) and Nigeria (2008).
By late April, things were more or less set and we finally took off to Mumbai on the last day of the month, after a warm sending off function in Kolkata. The Parleshwar club of Mumbai made sure that we were adequately looked after on our arrival from Kolkata on April 30, hosting a delicious transit dinner. Soon after, we were back on the Air Mauritius flight on our way to Mauritius, where we had a couple of hours halt before the final leg to Tana (the abbreviated name for Antlianarivo). Neerjadi’s dalpuris fulfilled their purpose in the Mauritian airport. And finally, by late afternoon, a very travel-worn group disembarked at the Tana airport, where we are given a very warm welcome with the emigration formalities completed by the local Rotarians, while we were whisked off to relax at the VIP lounge. This set the tone for the kind of warmth we received during our entire stay in Madagascar.
The drive from the Tana airport to the city evoked fond memories of back home in Shillong, with its undulating hilly terrain, intermittent drizzles, cool weather and the houses which are so typically seen in this part of the world. The hospitality was perfect in terms of stay, meals, transport and anything that one could think of, courtesy the local Rotarians and one in particular – Shelly. Actually, one can go no farther without devoting at least a few lines to Shelly Oukabay, a Malagasy of Gujarati origin, who was not only the chief co-coordinator of the mission, but also the backbone of the mission.
Unfortunately, the warmth of Shelly and the fellow Rotarians was somewhat negated by the slightly frosty reception meted out by the staff of the local hospital by the name of HJRA (Hospital Joseph Ravohangy Andrianavolna), despite the best efforts of the local medical coordinator Rtn
Prof Lalatiana. Team Madagascar was certainly not prepared for this, but on retrospect, it is only but natural that apprehensions are bound to arise for an unknown group of doctors from an unfamiliar country descending on them to treat patients they had been dealing with for so long! Later, I was told by the more experienced team members who had attended previous missions that this kind of an attitude at the outset is normal and natural in every mission. It is upto the team members to rise to the challenge and perform, so that a favourable and lasting impression is made at the end of the mission. The initial couple of days at Tana were certainly not a bed of roses. Much valuable time was wasted in overcoming misgivings, language barriers (French and Malagasy being the only spoken languages), adjusting to completely unknown colleagues, unfamiliar surroundings, uncooperative hospital staff, lugging along cartloads of supplies three flights of steps and what not! But all of this was of no consequence when we received the first smile of gratitude from the patients benefited by this mission and the changing conciliatory attitude of the hospital staff.At this point of time, it is worth a mention that in our endeavour to carry the mission forward, it was the young Rotractors who played the most crucial role of not only translating back and forth the conversations between the doctors, patients and hospital staff, but generally, easing the situation. That level of commitment, dedication and maturity in such a young lot is something worth emulating by our local youth. By the third day at Tana, the momentum of the mission had picked up and the overall acceptance of the doctors, as well as the procedures performed, increased along with the publicity spread by word of mouth, as well as by way of coverage by the local print media, though most of it was, of course, in French, a language which was, well, French. By the weekend of when we were actually ready to leave Tana, we were absolutely comfortable and at home working amidst the hospital staff. Another group of people who really went out of their way to make our mission fruitful and our stay comfortable, were the volunteers of the organisations of GMUR and ESPACE MEDICAL, who also organised consultation camps so that a greater number of people were benefited by our presence there. And then it was time to move on to Majunga, a coastal town in the north western border of the island. A short flight and then the drive to Majunga, sharply reminiscent of a drive through any road in upper Assam, again with similar kind of vegetation, housing and agriculture. The reception was as warm as could be by the local Rotarians and the omnipresent Rotractors of Tana followed us there. But the unbearably hot temperature and humidity and the long hours that we had to put in with practically no break and non-functional air-conditioners and fans, was challenging, to say the least! It was, however, still a cherished experience due to the co-operation and close involvement of the local Rotarians, the Rotractors, the hospital staff of the local hospital CHUA (Centre Hospitaller Universitaire Androva), as well as the team doctors in trying to make this mission as fruitful as possible. Sharing of knowledge and transference of skills were very much evident on this particular leg of the mission, with every involved person benefiting out from it in some way. Finally, it was time to wind up all the good work with excellent farewell dinners, first at Majunga and then subsequently at Tana and on board the flight back to Mumbai. However, it is worth a mention that the Malagasy experience, apart from the enriching one of working amidst the most needy of fellow beings, was also interspersed by many a lighter moment. There were outings on the beach, visits to the lemur park, shopping amidst heavy bargaining at the local handicraft stalls, entertaining rides in the local push carts resembling our local hand-pulled rickshaws, as well as helicopter rides courtesy a fellow Rotarian, the ever smiling AG Dou-Dou. Apart from all this, as an additional bonus, we were forced to spend two really enjoyable days in Mauritius due to some changes in the flight schedules. The pleasant memories of this break on one of the most picturesque islands of the world will surely be etched sharply in our minds for a long time to come.
This mission had some poignant moments, as well as the fun ones and surely, one of the more emotional ones was when it was time to bid farewell to the warm Malagasy people, the local Rotarians, Rotractors and, most importantly, to the other team members with whom one had shared some of the most enriching moments in one’s life! It was time to part, but in this short period, strong bonds had been forged and lasting friendships made between the members, all in the course of trying to shape the destiny of fellow humans across the boundaries, in a different world. And finally, I do believe that today, this entire experience leaves me a stronger, more resilient and tolerant human being . I also believe that each one of us, team members of Mission Madagascar, would always remain much more responsive to such calls for similar missions sometime in the future!
Dr Mitali Borooah Sandilya