BOOK REVIEW
- “Passion For People’s Progress – Planned Pursuits.”
- By Dr Tamilisai Soundarajan, Governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry.
- Pages: 461 page coffee table book.
A doctor by training with specialisation in obstetrics and gynaecology, Dr Tamilisai Soundarajan, comes across as someone quite unmoved by the aura surrounding her office.
Governor of Telangana and the Lt Governor of Puducherry (and the first woman at that to hold this responsibility), Dr Soundarajan seems more comfortable sharing concerns over anemia in women or her thoughts on the advances in radiology that could radically transform medical interventions. Dr Soundarajan seems busy trying to blend her experiences from the field with what she could do in her current capacity to help if not alleviate the problem.
Embarking on the fifth year as the governor of Telangana, she put together a coffee table book titled “Passion For People’s Progress- Planned Pursuits” in an attempt to present what she has been able to do in her capacity to address some of the health, social and economic concerns of the people of her state.
The 461 page book that was launched at a media interaction at the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad on Friday, September 8th, is rich with pictures of her interactions with students, health workers, the public at large, visits to flood affected regions and her efforts to try and contribute towards the development of vulnerable tribal groups.
Responding to a question from Financial Express Online on the key priorities in healthcare, especially in women health, she felt it was anemia that needed constant attention. “As a doctor, I analyse the symptom and feel anemia is a highly correctable ailment,” she says characterising the problem more as a setback in the nutritional status of the individual.
There were pockets where she tried propagating the use of mahua ladoos (a sweet acting as the iron supplement) especially in some of the tribal regions. She also sees an enduring need to ensure children get regularly screened for anemia. Equally crucial to her has been efforts to provide nutritional kits to patients of tuberculosis under the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukth Bharat Yojana.
Though there have been enough and more media reports on the simmering differences between the governor’s office and the government of Telangana, Dr Soundarajan sees an enduring connect with Telangana. “Since the state was formed on June 2 nd (2014) which happens to be my birth date, I can only see a divine connection with Telangana,” she says.
