Think 'teenager' and it's likely that the picture painted would be of a rebellious, if carefree, youngster, bent on having fun on his or her own terms.
Even at the age of 19, Naivedya Agarwal is helping those without limbs get a new lease on lifeThink 'teenager' and it's likely that the picture painted would be of a rebellious, if carefree, youngster, bent on having fun on his or her own terms. But Naivedya Agarwal, a 19-year-old young man baulks at the imagery.
Naivedya, who is actively involved with the Jaipur Foot, Prosthetic Limb and Rehabilitation programmes, conducts camps with the help and cooperation of the Bhagwan Mahavir Vikalang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) in order to provide prosthetic limbs to people, absolutely free of cost. He is currently in Mumbai conducting his third camp at the BMVSS centre at KEM hospital.
The camp, which continues till August 16, is looking to provide limbs to over 100 patients.
Naivedya has previously organised two camps, one in the Lanjigarh district of Orissa and the other in the Chingola district of Zambia. "I used to accompany my dad on his business trips and when I went to Orissa I saw that most people without limbs could not afford artificial limbs. I felt that if provided with a limb, these people could lead a more fulfilling life. That's what led me to talk to the BMVSS and organise my first camp."
This lad, who is currently studying business at the New York University, is in Mumbai to organise this camp. He plans to organise one every six months, as he feels "there are many people who cannot afford prosthetic limbs, and if need be, I plan to conduct one more camp in Mumbai".
If these camps do not take a penny from patients, where does the money come from? For the first camp in Orissa, Naivedya organised many fund-raising events at his school in Singapore. "I got my friends and teachers excited. All the effort I have made in collecting money for these camps has received an overwhelming response," he says. For the Mumbai camp he is contributing Rs1 lakh, that he earned through his internship programmes.
His target was to collect about Rs two-and-a-half lakh for the camp, but the enormous contribution has led to a collection of about three-and-a-half lakh.
Naivedya's interest in social work can be attributed to the time he spent with his grandfather. "As a child, I remember accompanying my grandfather to remand homes and homes for the blind. The need to do something for people has been instilled in me from that time."
Apart from this work, he also finds time for an active social life. He likes playing tennis and like most Indian teenage boys, he is passionate about cricket. Also an ardent reader, he says, "I enjoy murder mysteries. John Grisham and Nora Roberts are my favourites."
s_surekha@dnaindia.net 
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