News - The heartwarming tale of an extraordinary couple
by Jamuna Rangachari
Mahema and Manohar show us how the spirit of charity and service is an attitude that can transcend all barriers for, one of the best gifts of all is one where we give of ourselves.
Speaking of the accident she met with around three decades ago, Mahema Devadoss says, "All I wanted was the strength to be a good mother, a good wife and a good friend."
Around the time of the accident her husband, Manohar's vision too began to fail, and he was diagnosed with Retinitis pigmentosa- a degenerative eye condition for which there is no known cure. Nothing, however, deterred this extraordinary couple to continue living life to the fullest. Five years ago Manohar published his first book, "The Green Well Years", a tribute to his early years in Madurai that tells the magic of a South Indian boyhood set against the beguiling charm of an old temple-city. The exquisite pen-and-ink drawings in the book are his. Because of his condition, Manohar has no color perception, he has acute tunnel vision, and the little he does see is as if seen through a pinhole. Yet his drawings are flawless, sharp-edged, heartbreaking reproductions of snapshots from his life. With special eyedrops to dilate his pupils, with super strong lights and special magnifiers, with gloves (because the lights make his hands sweat and that could blotch the drawing), with a photographic memory and uncompromising attention to detail, his dedication and perseverance is extraordinary. Together each year they work on a special set of greeting cards. Manohar does the drawing and Mahema prepares a short write-up explaining the particular significance of the place, building, statue or scene that he has drawn. The cards are sold and the proceeds donated to one of the many charities they are involved with.
Generosity, that has always been ingrained in them, is as strong as it ever was.
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