It was during the year 1940 when Sulagitti Narasamma at the age of 20 years helped deliver a baby as a midwife for the first time. And since then for a span of more than 7 decades, she continued the same task of helping deliver babies until December 25, 2018, when she breathed her last at the age of 98 years. Until then she had delivered more than 1500 babies and that too without taking a single penny from anyone.
Amma Delivered Service Above Self For 70 Years
For her service above self, she was even fondly called Sulagitti which means delivery work in Kannada. Her life was indeed fully dedicated to bringing happiness to others. She learned the work of midwife from her grandmother, Margamma who was herself a midwife and an inspiration to Narasamma.
During one of her interviews, Narasamma said, “I learned the art of delivering babies from my grandmother, Margamma, who also helped me deliver five of my babies.”
Narasamma was already a household name in the surrounding Krishnapura area by 2007. But it was after the writers Ba Ha Ramakumari and Annapoorna Venkatananjappa who recognized her work and nominated her for a district-level award, that her name began to spread beyond the limited borders. The media got to know about her and picked her story.
Awards And Skills Of Narasamma
In 2014, almost 74 years after she delivered the first baby the Tumkur University awarded Narasamma with an honorary doctorate thus making her Dr. Sulagitti Narasamma. The efforts of this Krishnapura resident in Karnataka’s Pavagada taluk gained national recognition after she was honored with Padma Shri in 2018.
Apart from helping to deliver babies, the kind-hearted and compassionate Narasamma always gave shelter to nomadic tribes whenever they came to her village. She also knew how to prepare natural medicines for pregnant women which were highly instrumental in making her a successful midwife. Narasamma also knew how to check the pulse of a fetus, the position of its head and its health.
She was a mother to 12 children and 22 grandchildren and lived a long, healthy and happy life. The celebrated midwife relied on groundnuts which are rich in proteins and easily available as well as millets in various forms for nutrition and good health. Even when Narasamma was 90+ age she did not need any spectacles or any medicine.
She taught the skill of midwife to around 180 students along with her youngest daughter Jayamma who herself is now an experienced midwife.
