November 2008 Edition
Shreyasi Singh
New Delhi
HERS is a journey beyond the ordinary. At 48, Ritu Biyani Joseph is a breast cancer survivor and a dental surgeon by profession. But it isn't her battle with cancer that makes her stand out. It's her incredible journey post the disease that is pure courage and true grit. In an inspiring expedition in 2006, Ritu and her then 14-year-old daughter, Tista, drove through 30,220 km in 177 days across the four tips of India and some of the highest motorable roads in the world to conduct over 140 breast, cervix and oral cancer awareness workshops. They named their mission Project HIGH>>>WAYS. For Ritu, the project was the perfect marriage between her passion for adventure sports and her commitment to raise cancer awareness.
Through the journey, Pune-based Ritu and Tista reached out to more than 26,000 people in places almost impossible to get to, and as far off from one another as Koteshwar in Kutch and Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh. Many workshops were held under the skies or in the shade of trees with the help of translators. Over 80 per cent of these sessions were organised or planned en route as stories of her brave journey travelled from village to village. Vandana Natu, another breast cancer survivor, also travelled with them. But, Ritu drove the entire distance herself. She even held a breast cancer awareness camp at Siachen, known as the highest battlefield in the world. And, she did 3,000 of those kilometres co mpletely solo through which, "I could sing out loud with the windows rolled up," says she.
The mother-daughter duo innovatively used basic ICT tools such as PPT presentations, LCD projectors, community mikes and SMS to convey their message. Ritu knew she had to keep the narrative visual, not preachy. Using projectors and a photoheavy, text-lean presentation helped her make the right impact. What's more important - Ritu and Tista introduced technology to those who did not even know they needed it, rather than waiting for them to first win the battle for access. Their efforts have been recognised. Ritu recently received the Manthan South Asia Award 2008 for E Content in Health. The Manthan Awards are held annually to acknowledge the best e- content practices in the South Asian region. An initiative of the Digital Empowerment Foundation, the 2008 awards, held in New Delhi from October 16-18, were aimed at encouraging usage of ICT(Information and Communication Technology) for the empowerment of rural communities.
Thirty-three projects from across India,
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan
and Sri Lanka were recognised for their contribution.
These winners were narrowed down from
nearly 284 worthy nominations across 13 categories
like Community Broadcasting, e-Business, e-
Culture & Entertainment, e-Education, e-
Government and e-Health amongst others.
Even amid such stiff competition, Dr Ritu's dramatic
journey of survival stood out. In September
2000, doctors told Ritu she had breast cancer.
Although it was detected early, her cancer still fell
in the high-risk Grade 3 category. The next seven
months were devoted to treatment - two surgeriesand six rounds of chemotherapy.
Ritu lost all her hair but her confidence didn't
budge, " I never pitied myself. I accepted the disease.
Even now, I tell all cancer patients I interact
with that you cannot fight the disease till you
accept it. I lost my hair and enjoyed it.
I took photographs of myself bald. How many people get to do that other than models? I never wore a wig or tied a scarf. I flaunted my new look." She was physically active through the treatment - playing badminton and table tennis. This innate self-belief has been Ritu's constant companion. She joined the Indian Army after completing her Bachelor's in Dental Science from the Government Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur in 1981. Ritu served two Short Service Commission stints in the Army. When she left the forces after 10 years in 1992, she was a Captain. A lover of the outdoors from childhood, Ritu developed a passion for adventure sports while in uniform. In fact, she has always gone where others dared not to.
She was the first lady from her conservative Marwari community to join the army, the first woman paratrooper from the Dental Corps and the fourth woman paratrooper from the armed forces. It is this tremendous training in physical and mental tolerance that helped her convert adversity into life-changing opportunity."Cancer brought me back to life. After leaving the army, I was a housewife and a full-time mother for eight years, and I enjoyed that. But, after my treatment finished, I thought if I have survived this, it means I have to live an even fuller life. I started my private dental practice in Pune and first did dental camps along the highways with Tista. I always liked picking up my car and driving off. The awareness programmes have given it more purpose. I keep taking week-long or 10-day road trips. "
Ritu and Tista are looking ahead to Milestone
2008. That their scale has expanded is evident
from their new project name, HIGH>>>WAYS
Infinite. Highways Infinite will undertake campaigns
on multiple health issues like AIDS, TB,
tobacco and environment related diseases.
Winners of the Manthan Award
Community Broadcasting
●Dambadeniy Community Radio, Sri Lanka
●Equal Access, Nepal
●Kalanjiam Samuga Vannoli Community
Radio, Tamil Nadu, India
e-Business
● Safal National Exchange Of India
Limited, Karnataka, India
● ngpay, Karnataka, India
e-Culture & Entertainment
e-Culture & Entertainment
● Unnayan TV, Dhaka, Bangladesh
● Youth Voice (Netbetar), Dhaka,
Bangladesh
● www.kharia.in, Jharkhand, India
e-Education
● Gyandarshan, Gyanvani, IGNOU, New
Delhi, India
● "Learn With Fun", Karnataka, India
● Kissan Krishideepam, Kerala, India
e- Enterprise & Livelihood
● ITSHED, Sri Lanka
● GiveIndia, India
● JEEON-IKB, Bangladesh
e-Government
● Unified Ration Card Project,
Chhattisgarh, India
● VoteBD.org, Dhaka, Bangladesh
e-Health
● Web Health Centre, Tamil Nadu, India
● Integrated Digital Health Platform,
Andhra Pradesh, India
● Project HIGH>>>WAYS...beyond cancer,
Maharashtra, India
● We In Recover, New Delhi, India
(SPECIAL MENTION)
e-Inclusion
● Arpit's Wheel, New Delhi, India
● Digital Talking Books, Sri Lanka
e-Learning
● DigitaALly, Karnataka, India
● MEdRC EduTech, Andhra Pradesh,
India
e-Localisation
● Hoimonti, Bangladesh
● LIPIKAAR, Maharashtra, India
● Sea Monkey, Afghanistan
e-News
● Pratibadh (Wall Newspaper), New Delhi,
India
● CGNet, Chhattisgarh, India
e-Science & Environment
● India Water Portal, Karnataka, India
m-Content
● CellBazaar, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Jurors' Distinction Award for
Innovation
● IPSupermarket.com, Karnataka, India
● VoiKiosk, Delhi/Hyderabad, India
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