A daily wage labourer Amit Kumar went about his work as usual. It was a hot summer day and as the whole of India withered under the heat, the town of Balghat in Madhya Pradesh, India was no exception. A full day’s back-breaking labour at a construction site earned Amit Kumar Rs. 200 (around $ 3 ) as a daily wage. 

“ Around noon my wife would call me and ask me whether I had the lunch she had packed for me. That day I had just taken a break to have my lunch when she called me. Other labourers had also just settled to have their lunch. And as a father I enquired about my little daughter Surabhi whether she had finished her lunch and told my wife to take good care of her as she was a special kid and hung up, ” Amit Kumar said. 

“Unbeknownst to me my fellow labourer Laxminath was listening to my conversation. When I hung up and went back to having my lunch, he tapped on my shoulder and asked, ‘What happened to your little daughter”. “I was quite taken aback, as I seldom spoke about my daughter to anybody but seeing the sincerity of the question, I felt like telling him,” Amit said. 

***

Amit Kumar’s daughter Surabhi had a bilateral congenital cataract. She was born with cataract in both eyes since birth. 

 Amit Kumar’s wife and Surabhi’s mother Naina said that they first realized their daughter had a problem when she was just 7 months old, when a visiting relative took one look at the infant girl’s eyes and told the parents to visit an eye specialist. “He told us that even his child had a similar problem and they had got the child operated for that.” 

“We first took Surabhi to a Balghat hospital and the surgeons after the examination told us we would require Rs. 100,000 ($1,400) for the treatment. We did not know what to say. Where are we going to get that huge a sum of money, " Naina said. 

Amit had a huge family to support. Excluding Amit, there were six other members who included Amit’s wife and their two kids, both of his parents and his younger brother. “I earned around Rs. 5,000 ($71) a month and savings at the end of the month were meager. We could not even imagine  spending Rs. 100,000  for the surgery, ” Amit said. 

Amit’s wife Naina added, “And secondly we were also scared that whatever little sight she had she may lose that also completely if anything went wrong during the surgery.” 

However, both parents wished to have a second opinion and took her to a private hospital in Nagpur. There also the Ophthalmologists quoted the same amount Rs. 100,000 for the treatment. “We quietly returned home,” the parents said. Surabhi though started going to school, her eyes almost had no vision. She had to be guided around.

***

When Amit finished the story he realized that Laxminath's eyes had lit up with anticipation.  "I was pretty confused,” Amit admitted. 

“ Arree Bhai why don’t you go to Sri Sathya Sai Baba hospital,” Laxminath said finally.  

Unknown to Amit Kumar, Laxminath had been visiting the Prasanthi Nilayam Ashram of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba regularly for performing seva through the Sri Sathya Sai Organisation Madhya Pradesh. And the previous year in the month of September Laxminath  had the opportunity to perform seva in the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prasanthigram. Laxminath knew well what all facilities were available at the hospital and had seen children with eye problems receiving treatment. 

“ What about the cost,” Amit Kumar asked. 

Laxminath laughed. “ No charge,” he declared. “Baba’s hospital everything completely free of charge for everybody. Let a person belong to any religion, any caste, any nationality, everything completely free for all,” he told Amit, “that is Baba's hospital”.   

“ I was surprised at first, but because my friend had done seva there and had seen the hospital with his own eyes, I could not I doubt him, “ Kumar said  

This is how Swami works. When we think that there is no hope left and give up on life and then Swami appears in the most unexpected way to get people out of trouble. So soon Amit Kumar, wife Naina and Surabhi were on the train to Puttaparthi. 

“Looked like a temple,” was Kumar’s first reaction when he witnessed the hospital for the first time. 

In the hospital the Ophthalmologists performed the required tests and told the parents that they should not worry about getting their daughter operated. " It was already pretty late and delaying the surgery any further would have rendered Surabhi's completely useless," Dr. Laxminarayanan the operating surgeon at SSSIHMS, Prasanthigram said.   

"The surgery was performed and a few days after the discharge to my surprise we saw Surabhi walking all by herself in the hospital. She did not require anybody to hold her hand or guide her around. This surgery though late will help her in being self-reliant, " Dr. Anuj Sharma the Head of Department of Ophthalmology said.  "And in Swami’s hospital all the treatment is completely free of charge and therefore, in real sense this is the true service to humanity," he added 

Amit Kumar and Naina are a happy lot. 

“ We do not have words to express our gratitude to Baba," they said. We have been to many hospitals, they all charge a lot of money, but even then the way they deal with the patients is so inhuman. Here in Baba’s hospital we feel just like home. People are so loving and caring “ Amit said. 

“ The doctors and the nurses whenever they pass by, always enquire about the well being of my daughter. Felt so nice to be at the hospital, “ Naina said.  

“I have decided to come for seva next time with the people from Madhya Pradesh. And I would request the incharge of the volunteers to provide me the opportunity to perform seva in the Baba’s hospital. That will be our little way to return the love that Swami has showered on our family,” Amit concluded.