For medicines to keep good health, a drug store in the vicinity is the stop. For words of wisdom, that can well be medicine for good mind, one goes to spiritual discourses. However, here is a drug store that sells medicines for body at a cost and medicine for mind, absolutely free.
The shop- Aushad Drug Store- located at Dr C Ashwath Circle on Adhichunchanagiri Road in Kuvempunagar has cornucopia of messages, other than usual business- thought for the day, environment friendly messages, and an awareness on eye donation along with its registration too.
A board put up in the front reads thought for the day, written in Kannada. When City Herald visited the place, the board carried a message about how the right, rich and good ones should protect the weak, poor and bad persons to be able to follow true ‘dharma’.
The message changes every day. That apart, there is a regular column that calls for ‘conserving water as it is precious’ and also not to use plastic.
Besides, essential health tips is pasted on the side wall. The credit goes to Prasanna, in-charge of the shop and Manjunath, pharmacist. Both being like-minded, and having a penchant for Kannada literature, they decided to make use of the ample space in the corner of the shop to facilitate customers. The space is exclusively reserved for the purpose for the past four years, since the shop was opened, the two told this paper.
“Most of the customers will be in a tearing hurry when they come here to buy drugs. And while they wait, they do read these words which could act like a soothing agent. Even if it changes one person’s mood and mind for better, it may be of some help to them in dealing with travails in life”, the duo said when asked about the initiative behind the idea.
There are regular customers who prefer to read the board without a miss, and appreciate and also remind, in case of any repetition, such is the interest they show, recalls Manjunath. Some even will to be a part of the noble job, donating books with noble thoughts.
About 500 to 600 people have already pledged to donate their eyes, here. All the registrations will be duly forwarded to Sushrutha Eye Hospital on Dewan’s Road.Prasanna owes it to his boss Managing Director of S&V Groups (umbrella of Aushad Drugs) Chandragupta V Jain. “He knows about the good deed we have been doing and has been encouraging in every step”, said Prasanna.
Next, the two want to bring alive Mankuthimmana Kagga, the work of renowned Kannada writer D V Gundappa who is popularly known as DVG and wrote under the pen name ‘Mankutimma’.
