The Sylff Fellows of Jadavpur University (JU), India, recently paid a visit to leprosy patients at the Leprosy Mission Hospital in Kolkata, India. This is one of the annual social work activities of the JU-Sylff Association. Here is a brief report by Rimple Mehta and other members of the Association who visited the hospital.

“The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.” ~ Mother Teresa

Leprosy

India continues to record the highest number of new leprosy cases in the world followed by Brazil and Indonesia. While globally in 2008, 2.5 lakh new cases of leprosy were recorded, India accounted for 1.37 lakh of those cases. According to WHO's latest estimate, around 35% of new leprosy cases in India — 48,000 — are women. India also recorded the highest number of children newly detected with leprosy — 13,610. India, which is home to over 700 leper colonies, was also ahead of all other countries in the number of relapse cases at 325.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease which is curable and treatment provided in the early stages averts disability. The majority of cases (mainly clinically diagnosed) are treated with antibiotics. The recommended antibiotics, their dosages, and length of time of administration are based on the form or classification of the disease and whether or not the patient is supervised by a medical professional. The curable disease of Leprosy suffers from the misfortune of being associated with many baseless prejudices leading the victims to be socially ostracized. The fear of being unwanted looms large in every human being and if you are someone affected by a chronic disease this fear turns into an everyday reality. Social stigma, fear of death and alienation are reasons connected to the initial hiding of this disease by patients. Leprosy is not hereditary, but recent findings suggest susceptibility to the disease may have a genetic basis. Many people get exposed to leprosy throughout the world, but the disease is not highly contagious; researchers suggest that over 95% of exposures result in no disease, and further studies suggest that susceptibility may be based, in part, by a person's genetic makeup. Therefore, this cannot be fixed entirely as a poor man's disease but something whose triggers are still at least medically indeterminate. Nonetheless, the question of stigma is very closely related to the issues of poverty.

JU-SYLFF Associaton and the Premananda Leprosy Mission of Kolkata

The Jadavpur University SYLFF Association envisaged with great enthusiasm and sinceritythe Social Action Program under the provision of ‘Social Network Program’ of Tokyo Foundation. Since its inception, the Social Action Program has aimed at bringing about a qualitative change in the lives of the underprivileged and those afflicted by physical and mental problems through innovative ideas, sustained action and definite interactional engagement along with certain token material contributions. The members of the JU-SYLFF Association were deeply moved by the untiring efforts of Mr. Sasakawa to fight the curse of Leprosy and were inspired by his speech at Jadavpur University in 2005 urging all to join him in this noble mission. For the last six years, the Association has been trying to, in their own small way, work for the cause of the leprosy patients. It has tried to engage in quality interaction with the patients, bringing some relief to their otherwise routine life confined within the medical wards and largely writ by social stigma. The fellows of the Association were brought in contact with the ‘Premananda Leprosy Mission’ of Kolkata (in association with The Leprosy Mission in Canada which is a nongovernmentorganization) which has taken up the cudgel to banish such prejudices and render comfort and cure to the hapless patients suffering from this disease. Over the last two decades, The Leprosy Mission has been working to decrease the prevalence of leprosy in Kolkata, India through providing care at Premananda Memorial Leprosy Hospital. This community based hospital cares for leprosy complications, deformity prevention and surgical correction of deformation. It is the only hospital in Kolkata that focuses on the prevention and correction of deformity and rehabilitation of leprosy patients.

The Leprosy Mission took over and built the hospital in the year 1987. Before that it was run as Premananda Leprosy Dispensary by Oxford Mission. It started as 35 bedded hospital, now its 78 bedded. It has specialised departments for leprosy as well as some general treatments. The situation in West Bengal is such that they still see a number of untreated leprosy cases and most of them come with deformities, some among them have a very infective type of the disease. The leprosy mission as part of its initiatives has community development projects adjacent to the hospital in the slums to create awareness (which also includes other people with disabilities) to uplift their lives and get rid of the stigma associated with leprosy.

They also have some community projects in the Sunderbans. They also have different rehabilitation programs for the children who are for example not able to go to school because of their financial situation and a history of leprosy. They are provided aid through the ‘Catch them Young Project’. Micro credit finance is also given to economically weak people for pursuing small scale business. There is also a scheme called ‘Reuniting with Families’ for people who are not being taken care of by their families. Sometimes, families with small houses may have a problem to keep the patients especially with deformities comfortably. If there is land the mission builds them a no cost house with all the provisions for handicapped persons providing them with wheelchairs and all also with small amount of pension so that the family members may take care of them.

The Leprosy Mission helps leprosy patients find solutions to physical problems faced because of their disease. By providing out-patient services in dermatology, ophthalmology and surgery, more patients will receive help for their physical ailments. It provides remarkable medical and social service for patients afflicted by acquired and congenital deformities, dermatological difficulties and problems in vision. They have well-equipped wards in Leprosy, Dermatology, Surgery, Ophthalmology and Physiotherapy which accommodate ‘out patients’ and ‘in patients’. These are supplemented by Leprosy clinics, general medical and surgical clinics, eye clinics and foot clinic. In addition to providing treatment, the Leprosy Mission is also focusing on increasing awareness and knowledge of leprosy in the medical community. A team of professionals with a greater depth of knowledge in the field of leprosy will allow for better care for those affected by leprosy. While much has been done, many major challenges still exist. A large number of patients have deformities and disabilities. Many of these patients simply cannot afford investigations and treatment elsewhere for associated illnesses such as severe anemia, tuberculosis and diabetes. Many are uneducated and live in poor conditions in communities that still impose stigma against those with leprosy.

The patients come more or less from all over India but apart from patients in West Bengal it is mostly the migrant populations from Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand etc. Except for very few isolated cases the family members of the patients do come to visit them and take them back home when they are to be released from the hospital. A lot of things have changed over the years. Earlier they had to go from house to house to find out cases but now people are more aware. Yet sometimes the patients themselves do feel hesitant to reveal their disease and come directly to a Leprosy Hospital especially if it’s near their homes or also in their hometowns.

During the Jadavpur University SYLFF Regional Forum 2007, the SYLFF Fellows from different institutions were escorted to the Leprosy Mission on the day of Social Action. Medical briefing about the disease of leprosy by the doctors was followed by a detailed and a very insightful interactive session. The discussion was made extremely vibrant by the exchange of information about the countries from where the Fellows hailed ideas about dealing with the physical and social constraints in life, and even sharing of personal experiences. Thereafter, the Association wanted to help them build an asset. When asked what asset could be the best suited for this need, the patients wanted a television. In February, 2008, the Fellows conducted a function at the Leprosy Mission where they presented a colour television to the patients. It was installed at the male ward of the hospital which was shared by around eight patients.

The sustained efforts by the Fellows have included visits to the Leprosy Mission each year to reach out to the people affected by leprosy and to allay their insecurities about being unwanted. The visit is usually made in the month of December, prior to Christmas in order to evoke a sense of festivities among the patients affected by leprosy. In 2010 we made the visit on the 6th of December. There were about 65 patients who we interacted with. We distributed cakes, biscuits, toffees and some savouries among the patients who expressed their delight and gratefulness towards the gesture.

The counsellor of the hospital took us around to the different wards where the patients were stationed based on the type of ailment they had. There were separate wards for men and women. Their facial expressions revealed the deep sense of loneliness that marks their life as a result of the chronic disease that they have acquired. It seemed as if each face had a different story to tell us. Their struggles and remarkable ability to endure pain has a lesson for each one of us. However, as a society we have a long way to go before these people are integrated as acceptable members of a community. The hospital staff and the doctors seemed to be sensitive to the needs of the patients. After the initial round of interaction with the patients, a Hindi film was screened for the outpatients. Apart from this, we donated some DVDs with a combination of Hindi and Bengali comedy films, to the leprosy mission so that the patients can get some time off from their daily mundane routine. We did this after enquiring at the hospital about the availability of a DVD player. This was a small step towards making a sustainable contribution for the patients.

The Association is continuously thinking of such sustainable plans and hopes to contribute on a bigger scale in its future visits. The patients look forward to our annual visit as it gives them a sense of acceptance in society and a reason to move on. A day from our study/work schedules means a lot to them and works as an energy booster for the patients who spend most of the time in isolation from family and friends. We believe that as social scientists it’s our responsibility to not only report facts but to also envision sustainable solutions for social problems. As social scientists we owe this to the society and we need to channelize our efforts through appropriate social action projects. The Association pledges to work in earnest to nurture the ties with the Leprosy Mission and continue to contribute responsibly in the future to the mission of building Social Networks through the Social Action Program.

The Association would like to thank Dr. Fehlena Roberts at the Premananda Memorial Leprosy Hospital for taking some time off and talking to us with regard to the brief history of the hospital, the various initiatives taken and the present situation of Leprosy in West Bengal.

Mr. Khinvraj Jangid is a Sylff fellow of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India. After completing the master’s program in politics with a special focus on international relations at JNU’s School of International Studies, he is now pursuing his Ph.D. at the JNU’s Centre of West Asian Studies.

On December 21-22, 2010, Mr. Khinvraj was invited to National Seminar on "Conflicts in South & West Asia: Prospects of Peace" to present a paper at the Center for West Asian Studies, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India. The title of his paper was “Israel-Palestine Peace: The Problem of Narratives.” In this paper, Mr. Khinvraj addresses one of the most controversial conflicts of the present time. The present conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and the peace deadlock is attributed to a disagreement on the understanding of what had happened in the 1948 war between Israel and the five Arab states of Egypt, Syria, Jordan (then Transjordan), Iraq, and Lebanon. Regarding this war, perceptions of the two parties on the issue of Palestine refugees and elusive peace are of critical difference, which makes it difficult to construct a common understanding of the past; this is why the current conflict and disagreement remain unresolved. Continue reading →

The Tokyo Foundation is happy to report updates on the following two Sylff fellows.

The Pillars of Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) award was granted to Ms. Amal Matar, a Sylff fellow at the American University in Cairo. Ms. Matar is currently completing her dual Master's in Biotechnology and Mass Communication & Journalism. The award was given for her thesis project titled “Assessment of the Perspectives of Chairs of Research Ethics Committees (REC) in Egypt,” in which Ms. Matar interviews chairs of REC of research institutes and university hospitals in Egypt. She hopes to promote the equitable performance of clinical trials in the developing world by uncovering barriers/obstacles as well as key ethical issues REC chairs encounter when reviewing international protocols, in addition to enhancing the communication process through research between Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), investigators and international sponsors. She will be presenting her project at the international conference held annually by PRIM&R. This year, the conference will be taking place in December in Washington DC, USA. You can learn more about the award via this link www.primr.org/AboutUs.aspx?id=2428 Amal can be reached at mollyzak[at]aucegypt.edu ([at] should be replaced by @) Continue reading →

The Tokyo Foundation is happy to report updates on the following two Sylff fellows.

A research article by a Sylff fellow from Slovakia was published in a prestigious journal of foreign policy, Yearbook of Slovakia's Foreign Policy 2009. Mr. Ondrej Gazovic, a Ph.D. student of the faculty of Social and Economic Sciences at Comenius University in Bratislava, writes in his article that the year 2009 could be a breakthrough in terms of Slovak public diplomacy. The article presents extensive and critical reviews of the activities of public diplomacy by the government and identifies the potential areas to develop a positive perception of the country. Refer to the following website for more information about the Yearbook: http://www.sfpa.sk/en/publikacie/rocenka-zahranicnej-politiky/ (Ondrej recently married Ms. Tina Gyarfasova, who happens to be another Sylff fellow at the same university. Congratulations to both of you!) Continue reading →

From November 2 through 5, 2010, the Sylff Administrators Meeting was convened at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) in Beppu, on the southern island of Japan. APU, the newest member of the Sylff community, hosted this gathering, which was attended by some 100 administrators and faculty members representing 62 (out of 69) Sylff-endowed institutions in 40 countries, as well as 11 Sylff fellows from 8 countries. The Tokyo Foundation worked closely with APU on the contents of the meeting as well as the logistic and other administrative matters.

The meeting started with a welcome speech by Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, the donor of the Sylff endowments; opening remarks by Mr. Hideki Kato, President of the Tokyo Foundation; followed by a welcoming address by Mr. Shun Korenaga, President of APU.

Over the three days, the participants were actively engaged in presentations and discussions—both plenary and in small groups—regarding such topics as “Identifying and Nurturing Outstanding Future Leaders through Effective Program Administration.” The participants were reminded of the basic roles and responsibilities for managing the Sylff program at respective institutions, and renewed their commitments to identifying and nurturing future leaders.

One session featured some of the invited Sylff fellows who are the beneficiaries of Sylff Plus programs. They each shared with participants their experiences and accomplishments achieved through the Sylff Plus support provided by the Tokyo Foundation. Other Sylff fellows served on the panel of a thematic session entitled “Global vs. Local Values: Beyond Dichotomy.” Also, a special lecture was delivered by Dr. Monte Cassim, ex-President of APU, under the title “Sound, Science, New Technology and Emerging Nations.”

APU is one of the most internationalized universities in Japan, with a special emphasis on Asia-Pacific studies. Half of the 6,000 plus students, as well as faculty members, come from abroad (over 90 countries), and both English and Japanese are the official languages on campus. This was reflected in the range of performances by APU students during the welcome reception, namely, Korean drum performance, Chinese traditional string performance, and Noh, a Japanese traditional theater performance, which were presented by students of diverse nationalities.

Among the invited Sylff fellows were four musician fellows from the Juilliard School in New York, who gave a beautiful music performance on the second evening of the Meeting. This concert was a joint event featuring the Juilliard fellows and Ms. Toshie Suzuki, an APU graduate and professional shamisen player, and her troupe. The full-house audience, including the Meeting participants, APU students, faculty, and administrators, as well as the citizens of Beppu where APU is located, was very moved by the performance from East and West.

The final morning was dedicated to a session for intellectual entertainment. This experimental endeavor was to provide an opportunity for the participants to “speak their minds and hearts” in a purely private capacity on issues that are close to their hearts, setting aside their positions and responsibilities at work. Thirteen pre-selected participants made presentations, and six others, who were chosen on the spot, commented on the presentations. They were joined by two invited speakers: Dr. Mariko Hasegawa, Professor, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, and Dr. Yoshikazu Takaya, Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University.

On November 5, the day following the end of the sessions, the participants divided into two groups for optional field trips: about half of them toured around Beppu and its vicinity and enjoyed the cultural heritage of the region, while the other half went to Tokyo for a half-day dialogue at the Tokyo Foundation with Japanese Diet members on specific policy issues, followed by a half-day sightseeing tour of Tokyo.

The Tokyo Foundation extends its sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Sylff colleagues and Sylff fellows who took the time to participate in the meeting, to APU colleagues for their dedicated work and hospitality, and the Nippon Foundation for its generous support.

The University of Malaya, located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary of the Sylff program. The commemorative ceremony was held on May 31, 2010, followed by a two-day seminar entitled, "Today's Young Scholars, Tomorrow's Great Leaders."

The University of Malaya was awarded the Sylff endowment in 1990. It was the 21st member to the Sylff program, and one of the first Sylff-endowed institutions in Asia. For the past 20 years, Sylff fellowships have been awarded to 57 gifted students, not only from Malaysia, but from countries such as Iran, Kosovo, Palestine, and Afghanistan, where there are no Sylff institutions.

Sylff fellows, old and new, gathered to show their appreciation. There were Sylff alumni who came all the way from Kosovo and Japan to commemorate the event. Many of the Sylff alumni of the University of Malaya now hold teaching positions at universities, or work at government agencies. "I deeply appreciate how much the Sylff fellowship helped my study," one of the participants commented. "That's why I'm here today for the celebration."

The special guests from the Sylff community also gathered for this event. Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, Ms. Akiko Matsunobu, Executive Director of the Tokyo Foundation, and Sylff Steering Committee members from the University of Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University (Indonesia), Chiang Mai University (Thailand), and Vietnam National University came to celebrate the anniversary.

Opening remark by two Malaya Sylff fellows

Dr. Ghauth Jasmon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaya, Mr. Sasakawa, and Ms. Matsunobu delivered congratulatory speeches. The multi-national, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious composition of Malaya’s Sylff fellows is representative of the "diversity” necessary to nurture future leaders who can transcend various borders and respect different values and cultures, which coincides with Sylff's mission. The huge success of the anniversary ceremony was proof of the deep commitment and leadership of the University of Malaya fellows.

In 2010, the University of Indonesia and Chiang Mai University will be also celebrating their 20th anniversary of the Sylff program. Delegates from both universities said that they were inspired by Malaya's success and will work to make their anniversary events just as successful and enjoyable.

The Tokyo Foundation would like to congratulate DUSKE, the Sylff Fellows Association of the University of Deusto, together with ALUS, the Association of Leipzig University Sylff Fellows, on their successful organization of the International Forum on “Local Initiatives to the Global Financial Crisis,” held on February 24-26, 2010, in Bilbao, Spain. Continue reading →

The Tokyo Foundation is pleased to announce updates on Sylff Plus.

Sylff Plus aims to encourage and support the initiatives of Sylff community members (current and graduated Sylff fellows, as well as Sylff steering committee members) who wish to practice/help develop leadership skills, as we expect leaders to be proactive, to work for the benefit of others, to be inclusive of people, and to be effective even in an ambiguous situation.

We are looking forward to having Sylff community members utilize these opportunities to the fullest this year!

For more information, please click here.

Sylff Association at Jadavpur University has released its fifth annual newsletter. It features articles by professor and Sylff fellows at the university, including description of activities supported by Sylff Plus. The Scholarship Division is delighted to learn and share these initiatives by Sylff fellows.

To download the fifth newsletter, please click here (PDF)

*Past newsletters are also available through the link below, http://www.jusylffprogram.org.in/NewsLetter.html

*Click here for a list of Sylff Local Associations around the world.

The Scholarship Division is pleased to help announce the call for papers for the following conference to be hosted by the University of Pécs. The University of Pécs is a beneficiary institution of Sylff in the network of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. For details, please see the following announcement provided by the conference organizers. Continue reading →