Dr. Satyendra Sharma discovered the Pardada Pardadi Educational Society (PPES ) when he was establishing an endowment to fund the education of Indian girls. His father, Kunwar Gopal Sharma, a former public service officer, had bequeathed his estate to this cause. While researching girls’ schools, Dr. Sharma was surprised to learn there was one in Anupshahar, not far from where his father had lived.

Formerly an expert in orthopedic surgery and now a specialist in rehabilitation medicine, Dr. Sharma makes annual visits to PPES and the Prana Health Center primarily checks students for skeletal issues such as scoliosis (curvature of the spine), but he also advises on their general health.

For example, Dr. Sharma examined a young student with a chronic cough. A follow-up test revealed that she had tuberculosis. Unfortunately, this serious lung disease, sometimes called the “silent killer,” is still very prevalent in India. It causes an estimated 1,000 deaths a day.

The 12-year-old, an orphan, spent almost three months in a New Delhi hospital. Elsa Joseph, the Center’s nurse, often stayed with the girl during the first stage of her hospitalization. Eventually, she moved into PPES guest housing for a few more months to ensure that she ate a healthy diet and got her medications. When her health improved even more, neighbors took the child into their home and she was able to return to her classes at PPES.

Dr. Sharma is the Director of the  Spasticity Clinic at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto, Canada and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the
University of Toronto.