Uma Preman

Uma Preman was born to TK Balakrishnan and Thankamani in Palakkad, Kerala and grew up in Coimbatore, a city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. When Uma was eight years old, her mother, Thankamani, abandoned the family for another man, leaving Uma fending for herself along with her three-year-old brother.[1][4] At the age of 18, Uma travelled to Kolkata to meet Mother Teressa and join Missionaries of Charity. After a brief period, she was assigned back to the Mission at Kerala, where she served as a caregiver for elderly and terminally ill patients.[4] During this time, Uma reunited with her mother, Thankamani, who was overwhelmed with debt after her separation with her second husband. Out of desperation, she pressured Uma into marrying Preman Thaikad, a wealthy travel agent that promised to pay off her debt in return. Uma soon found out that Preman, who was 26 years older than her, was suffering from a severe form of tuberculosis. Due to Preman's worsening condition, the couple spent most of their times together in hospitals. Preman died seven years later in 1997.[1][4]

During her frequent visits at the hospital with Preman, Uma noticed the difficulties faced by rural patients in obtaining medical help and information. She started helping them out with medical forms and connecting them to doctors and services they needed. After Preman passed away, Uma continued receiving pleas for help, which prompted her to set up a medical advisory organization, Santhi Medical Information Center (SMIC), in Kottapadi, a village near Guruvayur.[1] She travelled round the country for three months, gathering information on available medical resources for specific ailments. Upon returning home, she sold the house inherited from Preman and set up office in a rented house. As the service grew popular, Uma started receiving charitable donations from various sources,[2][5] which allowed SMIC to move to a permanent location and increase the scope of the services provided. Over time, the organization added ambulance services, kidney dialysis facilities and rehabilitation clinics for paraplegic patients.[4] As of 2019, SMIC facilitated 20,500 heart surgeries, 650 kidney transplantations and kidney dialysis for 2,000,000 patients.[3] The organization also helped repatriate and rehabilitate migrant Indian workers with chronic conditions.[2][6]

In 1999, Uma became one of the first altruistic organ donors in India when she donated one of her kidneys to Salil Balakrishnan, a 24-year-old patient with kidney failure. Because of strict government regulation for organ donation in India, Uma had to present her case before the Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu and get approval.[7] In the following decades, Uma's role in public education about organ transplant along with campaigns led by Davis Chiramel and Kochouseph Chittilappilly helped Kerala become the leading state in India for organ donations.[8][9]

In 2014, Uma became aware of the low standard of living in the Attapadi tribal taluk in the Palakkad district of Kerala, and created Santhi Gramam (lit. Village of peace), a social welfare project, to alleviate the hardship of the locals. Under this project, SMIC set up several healthcare and educational institutions as well as basic infrastructure like water tanks, toilets and community kitchens. The project also created employment by incentivizing organic farming and cottage industries manufacturing agricultural products.[10] A major focus of the project was on improving menstrual health of young females. As parts of the initiative, a sanitary napkin manufacturing unit was set up in Attapadi and exclusive toilets stocked with feminine hygiene products were created for adolescent girls [10][11] Santhi Gramam also invested in low-cost, sustainable and climate-responsive housing solutions,[12][13] which were applied in the rapid construction of 51 anganwadis (rural child care center) in Arunachal Pradesh in 2021.[14][15]

In 2017, Uma Preman founded APJ Abul Kalam International Residential Tribal School in Attapadi to accommodate primary education in the local tribal languages with a view to boosting student enrollment and retention in the tribal communities[16].[17] In 2021, Uma helped launch a local television channel in Attapadi to broadcast educational content to the students in their native languages and deliver daily news to the locals.[18]