In response, his devotees in Delhi founded the Kushtrogi Seva Samiti. Many of us came forward. Some were doctors, others housewives like me. While the doctors treated the physical aspects, Pushy's role was to heal the patient from within. Leprosy attacks the nerves but more than that it has devastating effects on the mind.
Patients lose self-esteem and their sense of purpose.
The psychological scars appear long before the physical deformities. You can lead a normal life and nobody will ever know you have leprosy. It certainly isn't the end of the world. This is the message she drums into patients reeling from the shock. But bringing dignity into the lives of those deformed was a different matter.