Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A Ph.D after 70

A. Pitchai

Life after 70. That's a reality for A. Pitchai, a former bureaucrat, who has just been awarded a Ph.D by the University of Madras for his study on "handicapped rehabilitation management in Tamil Nadu."

The topic itself is not surprising, considering the fact that Mr. Pitchai is a former director of rehabilitation for Tamil Nadu.

A visibly happy Mr. Pitchai says his study covers all categories of the disabled, the nature and dimension of their problems, changing social attitudes towards the cause of the disabled, the role of government and NGOs in rehabilitation.

"It shows some of the typical drawbacks in the present delivery system and suggests remedial measures for effective rehabilitation management in Tamil Nadu," he says.

A practitioner of what he preaches, Mr. Pitchai formed "Speaker Chellapandian Charitable Trust", in memory of his father-in-law, after retirement in 1993 and has been supplying appliances such as tricycles, wheel chairs, hearing aids, and crutches, to disabled persons.

K. Ramachandran

K. Ramachandran

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