Once there was a legend, who consumed his life for humanity. He set new standards of selflessness and charity. His services for humanity has surpassed all the bounds. This man was a Pakistani who was admired and revered by all and sundry. But alas, as of 8th July 2016 at the ripe, old age of 88; this soul is no more among us but he will live in our hearts forever. He is a true role model for humanity.
Even leading up to his untimely demise, he wanted to help and thus, donated his organs. Though, only his cornea could be used as the rest of his organs weren't healthy. I hope whoever receives his cornea not only gets his sight but also his vision for the world. His now, famous quote, 'No religion is higher than humanity" can not be any more relevant in these times with rampant extremist attacks, ultra-nationalistic xenophobia on the rise among other things.
He was beacon of light and sanity. With just two sets of clothes and an iron will, he's left a philanthropic legacy that will be admired for decades to come. From humble beginnings in Gujarat and horrified by the post-partition standards in his new country, he opened his first clinic and reportedly begged on the streets of Karachi for money to buy a ambulance. The Edhi foundation now owns a fleet of emergency assisstance vehicles which includes over 1800 ambulances, 28 rescue boats and 2 planes.
He said that his mother would give him two paisa, one to spend for himself and the other to spend for another. Edhi would also make no distinction between faith, ethnicity when it came to his facilities and would often criticized by some fundamentalists for it.
One notable time he irked some fundamentalists was when the Edhi Foundation introduced a cradle outside many of its offices so that parents who did not want their babies could leave them at their centres instead of killing them or throwing them in garbage, the foundation faced backlash from the clerics.
“Religious leaders led a vicious campaign against the Edhi Foundation, claiming that we were encouraging children born out of wedlock,” says Edhi. “But we were only saving babies from dying, safeguarding their right to live.”
“Religious leaders led a vicious campaign against the Edhi Foundation, claiming that we were encouraging children born out of wedlock,” says Edhi. “But we were only saving babies from dying, safeguarding their right to live.”
