Wednesday, August 01, 2007

The man who Traded his Mercedes for Bicycle

Dr. Kumar Bahuleyan (81) has donated his personal fortune of about USD 20 million to a charity that will help improve the living conditions of his home town in Kerala.

Dr. Bahuleyan grew up in abject poverty and didn't get to even wear slippers till he went to Medical School. From the bowels of poverty and untouchability, he grew to great heights as an acclaimed neurosurgeon in Buffalo, NY. There he made his millions and at one time owned 5 Mercedes.

While he was getting rich in US, he also saw that the fortune of many in his native village didn't change much and he decided to do something about it. So, he started a charity foundation and funded it with his personal fortune of USD 20 million. With that, he also traded his Mercedes for a bicycle and split his time between Buffalo and Chemmanakary.
"I was born with nothing, I was educated by people of that village and this is what I owe to them...I’m in a state of nirvana, eternal nirvana. I have nothing else to achieve in life. This was my goal, to help my people. I can die any time, as a happy man.”" - Dr. Bahuleyan
For an in-depth story on Dr. Bahuleyan please go here and here.
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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousWed Aug 01, 09:22:00 PM

    Dr. Kumar Bahuleyan is an example of how we can practice Live, Love, Learn and Legacy. The Ultimate legacy is giving back to the community. Every one of us can, in a positive and small way make a difference, starting with our extended family and orphanages. Can we change the entire country or the World, perhaps not. Hats off to Dr Kumar.

    Raman

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousWed Aug 01, 09:34:00 PM

    first link 'here' doesnt not work, 404 error.

    Rgsd
    Vijay

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ram ViswanathanThu Aug 02, 06:42:00 AM

    Raman
    yes indeed..

    Vijay
    Sorry.. fixed it..

    Thanks for letting me know..

    Ram

    ReplyDelete
  4. RaviFri Aug 03, 09:13:00 AM

    Thanks for the story Ram. A day after you posted, Deccan Chronicle also carried this story.

    This man is Inspiring Indeed !!

    ReplyDelete
  5. BhargavSat Aug 04, 05:33:00 PM

    Thanks for letting me know about this great person. Indeed it is inspiring

    ReplyDelete
  6. neostarMon May 25, 02:37:00 PM

    Dr Bahuleyan is a real Hero, If all the NRI's across the world also do What this great man did , surely Our India will become one of the most beautiful places in the world

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ram ViswanathanSat May 30, 10:58:00 AM

    Kuttan
    Yes.. Dr.Bahuleyan is work is commendable.. no doubt about it.. But I would like to see not just NRIs but all Indians work towards making this world a better place to live for all of us..

    ReplyDelete

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