Dr. V of Aravind Eye Hospital: A 'Level 5' Leader
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Case Details:
Case Code : BSTR100
Case Length : 16 Pages
Period : 1997 - 2004
Organization : Aravind Eye Hospital
Pub Date : 2004
Teaching Note :Not Available
Countries : India
Industry : Service
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Please note:
This case study was compiled from published sources, and is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion. It is not intended to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. Nor is it a primary information source.
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'Crucibles Of Leadership' 8
Dr. V was born into a farmer's family on October 1, 1918 in Vadamalpuram (a village 80 km from Madurai). The village had no school and as a boy, Dr. V had to undertake household chores before walking to a school that was 3 miles away from his village.
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Later, a school was opened in his village but it did not have pencils, pens, or even slates to write on. The children had to bring sand from the river bed and spread it smoothly on the mud floor and then learn to write on the sand with their fingers. Dr V's father was a Gandhian.9
Naturally, as a child he imbibed the Gandhian values of nonviolence and truthfulness.
In his school days, Dr. V was inspired by Swami Vivekananda10 and later when he was pursuing his higher studies he was influenced by Gandhi. Dr. V decided to study obstetrics,11 when three of his cousins died of eclampsia (an attack of convulsions) in last months of their pregnancy. In 1944, he completed his medical education from Stanley Medical College, Chennai.12
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Soon after finishing his degree, he joined the Indian Army Medical Corps. The next year until the end of the Second World War, was an eventful one for Dr. V. But soon after the war, he suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, which permanently twisted his fingers, and made him bedridden.
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The next two years Dr. V went through excruciating physical pain. He said of these two years: "I would scream in pain if someone as much as touched the bed. It was torture."13
Dr. V had to endure not just physical pain, but also a feeling of hopelessness. He could no longer be an obstetrician with his disfigured fingers. He was brought up in an environment that valued achievement (though not materialistic). But he could barely move, leave alone be an achiever. One fine day, overcoming the pain with sheer grit of will, he was able to stand. This was an exhilarating moment for him.
"When I finally could stand, I felt as if I was on top of the
Himalayas,"he said...14 |
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