Tragic loss of Bharat Pandit

Sarita and Bharat

We are very sorry to share the news of Bharat Pandit’s sudden passing on the morning of Saturday 9th July, due to a heart attack. Bharat joined the work at Lalgadh in the late 1990s firstly as a leprosy patient and then later as a staff member, shepherding patients through the

Bharat at work

outpatient department system. Bharat’s life was devastated by leprosy when he was first diagnosed as a young man at Lalgadh, but with the dignity and respect earned through his work, and his building a new life in the nearby town of Bardibas, he became an admired man of integrity, and a champion of people who were affected by disability and poverty. While working at Lalgadh, he met and married a young lady called Sarita Singh, who herself was devastated to discover that she had leprosy, and thought her life was over, until Bharat convinced her otherwise.

Bharat and Sarita have come to represent much of what NLT’s work at Lalgadh stands for, and we are greatly saddened to lose this wonderful man. Please pray for Sarita and their two sons Prasanta and Prakhash, who have been left behind so unexpectedly, along with staff and friends who will also be grieving at this great loss.