Give back as much as you can, it makes you stronger

Dubai - Dr Shetty will take care of the educational expenses of ten students

Last week AR Rahman, the Indian music genius who has a fanfare across the world, got a big surprise from the UAE. He was performing live at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium when he was offered Rs1million aid for 10 students, members of his Sunshine Orchestra, a humanitarian initiative.
The man behind this donation was Dr BR Shetty a self-made billionaire of the UAE, who has started life in the UAE as any other average Indian expatriate.
Dr BR Shetty, chairman of New Medical Centre Group, is a known face among the UAE residents, both the expats and nationals. Those who are familiar with the Indian entrepreneur who hails from Kaup, Uduppi, in Karnataka state knows about his active participation in several humanitarian activities.
Dr Shetty surprised the music legend by announcing Rs1 million (more than half million dirhams) financial aid for 10 students who are part of his Sunshine Orchestra, an ambitious project of the AR Rahman Foundation. The foundation is the popular Indian musician's philanthropic initiative to address the music industry's need to produce quality instrumentalists, who are in short supply.
Realising that no young talents are being groomed to replace the ageing instrumentalists, the AR Rahman Foundation has undertook this task. Underprivileged children are groomed to handle musical instruments as most of the instrumentalists who play for Tamil movies are in their 50s and 60s.
Dr BR Shetty, said he will sponsor 10 students of Sunshine Orchestra, giving the ARR Foundation's humanitarian project a big boost. Dr Shetty will take care of the educational expenses of ten students. The ARR live show became livelier as the crowd cheered and clapped for Dr BR Shetty, the billionaire known for his philanthropic gestures.
Those who know Dr Shetty from close quarters know that this is just a small gesture from the man who considers supporting education as a subject too close to his heart. He has been liberal in extending scholarships, building funds for schools and colleges, promotion of various sports and arts activities and helping the needy. He has been the chairman of many Indian schools in Abu Dhabi that houses between 25,000 to 30,000 students.
It began 35 years ago
"I was sharing a stage with the Bollywood celebrities in Abu Dhabi. I fell down from the stage which was 6 feet high but came out without any injuries. The same day I decided to make a donation to the handicapped centre in Abu Dhabi, the venue of the event, by giving air conditioner to all the rooms and paying for other facilities. It happened 35 years ago and still now I continue to give because giving back to society makes me more powerful," Dr Shetty told Khaleej Times.
Whenever there is a natural calamity - be it a devastating earthquake, a furious flood or other natural calamities in any part of the world - this philanthropist will come forward offering monetary and material help in the form of free medicines and medical services to the needy and poor.
While the UAE marks 2017 as Year of Giving, it is interesting to note that Dr Shetty has been doing charity activities for years. There are many untold stories.
The philanthropic initiatives of Dr Shetty include support for the Special Care Centre in Abu Dhabi, the Cancer Foundation run by Imran Khan in Pakistan, the Mudra Foundation, a non-profit performing arts organisation dedicated to deserving causes and he has been regularly supporting Surya Festival to encourage Indian artists.
When Dr Shetty was working as a medical representative in Abu Dhabi, one of his colleagues, a Pakistani national died of heart attack. The death of the Pakistani family's bread earner was a painful experience and Dr Shetty used to send money to the Pakistani family regularly from the limited income that he earned those days.
Before becoming a billionaire, he used to work as a medical representative selling medicines outdoors. He claims to be the first outdoor medical representative of the UAE.
"I don't think of religion, nationality or other factors while doing charity. The charity initiatives have benefited people in many countries - Bangladesh, Japan, Indonesia, India, Turkey, Sri Lanka, and Thailand," Dr BR Shetty said.
The Corporate Social Responsibility activities of his NMC Group companies also include campaigns against smoking, drinking and a Zero Suicide campaign targeting the Indian community, which was well received by his compatriots here in the UAE.
satish@khaleejtimes.com
Hospital dedicated to parents
Dr BR Shetty is rebuilding a 70-bed mother and child hospital in the name of his mother Kusamma and father Shambu Shetty.
"It is a project close to my heart because the hospital will be named after my parents. The government hospital has been in a very bad shape and still people were using it for delivery and childcare. I have sought permission from the Karnataka government to build a charitable hospital for the women and children and to make it a sustainable project.
"I am building a 200 bed super specialty hospital in the same land. While the 70 bed hospital will give free treatment to women and children, the income from the super specialty hospital will sustain it," Dr Shetty said, adding that the new hospital will be inaugurated on August 14 this year.
"Now I will be going to every part of India including tribal areas with new hospitals and educational projects," he said, adding that during Ramadan, he does a lot of charity including free Iftars."We have been keeping free bottled drinking water outside the mosques in Abu Dhabi for several years and it will continue for ever," he told Khaleej Times.
He paid our bill, saved my baby
A few years ago, an Indian lady doctor from Alappuzha Kerala, India was on a visit visa to the UAE to meet her parents who lived in Abu Dhabi for over three decades.
A few days before her three months visit visa expired, she had a pre-mature baby of 28 weeks growth and he was kept in the Neonatal Care Unit of NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain.
"I never thought the baby will be alive, it was a tough period in our life. The baby needed to be kept at the neonatal care for at least 38 to 40 weeks. The hospital bill was about Dh236,000 and the middle class family could pay only Dh85,000 that too with much difficulty.
"We have approached Dr BR Shetty through some social workers and members of the doctors fraternity. Within a few hours, Dr Shetty decided to settle the bill from his personal account and relieved my family from a big financial liability." Dr Rachel is happily living in Kerala with her two year old boy.
"We owe a lot to Dr BR Shetty and the NMC Group of Hospitals because without their help, my baby would not have survived."

• UAE
• Dubai