Each week, Unreported World profiles a local hero. For India's Leprosy Heroes, we want to tell you about Vagavathali Narsappa.
Vagavathali Narsappa is already a hero to thousands of people affected by leprosy in and around Hyderabad. He is pictured here with his daughter, Meena, alongside reporter Seyi Rhodes.
Narsappa met and married his wife Nirmillah at the leprosy hospital where they were both receiving treatment. They then moved together to the colony and had two daughters.
Leprosy has affected Narsappa's hands. He injured his fingers – which had to be amputated. This meant he could no longer work and spent some time begging on the streets. He said it was the most humiliating experience of his life.
For the first time, he started to notice how unfairly those affected by the disease are treated. Narsappa remembered how he had been rejected from government schools because of his leprosy (despite being a bright and capable student). These experiences motivated him to become an activist.
Being brought up by nuns gave Narsappa a different outlook to others in his community. While many others were left broken by years of discrimination and degrading treatment, Narsappa has maintained a sense of hope. He pursues campaigns that others see as a lost cause and he often gets results.
Narsappa is now President of the Society of Leprosy Affected People, which is the first organisation of its kind in India. Everyone in the organisation is affected by the disease and they campaign to get better recognition of their needs and rights.
It's hard to pick out Narsappa's greatest achievement - he has done so much.
In 2007, he managed to get 5000 leprosy-affected people to a rally in central Hyderabad. He campaigned successfully to get all leprosy-affected people a free bus pass. It may sound like a small thing, but when you have to walk three hours to get to the nearest town, something as simple as a free bus pass can revolutionise your life.
He also got the government to agree to offer 5000 leprosy-affected people in his area a disability pension. This is the equivalent of raising £50,000 every month and putting it straight into the pockets of those who need it most. It means thousands of elderly and disabled people affected by the disease no longer need to beg for a living.
Narsappa hasn't stopped there either. He is now campaigning to get that pension offered to 10,000 more leprosy affected people who were excluded from the initial offer.
Narsappa's organisation doesn't have offices, computers, phones or a website. They get no funding from anywhere and everything they do is voluntary.
If you'd like to help the organisation, please write to Narsappa at narsappa@slapindia.org
