Jaipur Foot
World-renowned, the Jaipur Foot is the largest organization of prosthetic devices, which dramatically changes the lives of many amputees. Named for the town where the Jaipur Foot was created, the Jaipur Foot incorporates the most authentic look and functionality of a human foot and can be worn with or without shoes. The Jaipur Foot has proven to be a remarkable triumph in the history of prosthetic feet due to the speed at which a limb can be constructed as well as the low cost of under $50 to produce each device. Recipients receive his or her Jaipur Foot free of charge.
The story behind the Jaipur Foot
An unlikely partnership was formed when master craftsman and artist, Mr. Pandit Ram Chandra Sharma and an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. P. K. Sehti, teamed up to develop the Jaipur Foot, a low cost prosthetic foot originally made of vulcanized rubber and wood. The Jaipur Foot is genius in design, as it is low-cost, durable, waterproof and flexible, which can be used with or without shoes. From manufacturing a mere 50 devices in 1968 to well over 900,000 today, victims of birth defects, illness and accidents have been given another chance at leading a fulfilling life.
At the invitation of Dr. Sehti, Pandit Ram Chandra Sharma was asked to teach art as therapy for polio victims in the 1960’s at the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur, India. ‘Masterji’, as the master craftsman was affectionately known, was an artist utilizing paper, canvas, stone, wood, glass and metal. Ever the inquisitive man, Masterji, wandered the halls of the hospital and was struck with ill-fitting artificial limbs being made for the amputees and he began to experiment.
1969 - After suffering a crash with over 40 fractures and a long stay in bed, a young IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer named Devendrea Raj (D.R.) Mehta was sent to the SMS Hospital in Jaipur for physiotherapy. It was there he saw the very first Jaipur Foot and the people waiting in throngs to be fitted. Six years later this young man would become the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Hardeo Joshi. 1975 was also the 2,500th birth year of Mahavira, the founder of Jainism (the philosophy and practice emphasizing the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation) and the Indian government wished all states to partake in this jubilant celebration. With many overt token gestures being made, D.R. Mehta recalled the Jaipur Foot years earlier and recommended to the Minister that the device be rescued from its neglect of the past and be delivered to the disadvantaged. This would be a perfect way to honor Mahavira.
With no other place to begin the fabrication of the Jaipur Foot for the masses, Mehta suggested the dilapidated ambulance garages of the SMS Hospital. The Minister accepted the proposal and the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) was born. Masterji was called back into service and couldn’t have been more delighted.
Mehta remembered many things during his stay at the SMS Hospital while recovering from his injuries and wanted to make certain these amputees would be cared for with dignity in this new enterprise. He implemented the practice of immediate and round the clock registration upon arrival of each patient. He said of the new practice, ‘it had to become human.’ Many of the amputees arrived from great distances, penniless, nearly starved and with the hope and prayer of being fitted for a foot. And so Mehta expanded his practice to include providing a bed and food along with psychological trauma counseling prior to being fitted for the Jaipur Foot. Furthermore, the service of being fitted for the Jaipur Foot would be absolutely free with no fees ever being collected.
Though Masterji’s original design of the Jaipur Foot has evolved, it continues to be manufactured based on the traditional craft utilizing local production methods. Each foot is hand fitted and is available to all who come for the device. No one is turned away. The Jaipur Foot is flexible along multiple axes thus allowing natural movement of the foot, inexpensive to manufacture and is waterproof. After accurate measurements have been taken of the stump as well as the normal limb as a reference point, plaster of Paris is poured into the cast rendering a model of the patient’s limb. Next a pre-heated HDPE pipe or sheet is pressed into the mold, creating the shape of the desired limb. Once the POP is broken and extracted from the limb model, the rubber/polyurethane foot is attached. The final step of attaching leather belts to hold the prosthetic in place is completed and the recipient is fitted and undergoes training to become accustomed to his/ her new limb. It is perfectly designed to fulfill the need of the Indian culture where many people continue to farm, ride bicycles, run, climb trees and squat on the floor for prayer.
It is a family affair at the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) where D.R. Mehta enlisted the aid of his brothers Virendra Rak (VR) and Surendra Raj (SR) Mehta to volunteer their time. Now retired from the service to his government, D.R. Mehta spends his time committed to the continuation of building the Jaipur Foot concept, to physically expand the center, further the research and development and reach more amputees in over 22 countries.
