After her leap of faith, comes her flight of dreams — and a dream hotel stay.
Kamla Devi, a Himachal Pradesh health worker, had hit the headlines in August this year for jumping over raging waters — from one boulder to another, holding footwear in one hand with her backpack and purse slung over shoulders — just to immunise a newborn.
Recently, she hopped onto a flight from Dharamshala to New Delhi to Pune and back, and stayed in a five-star hotel for two nights and three days — thanks to the Serum Institute of India.
“We came to know about Kamla Devi through social media. Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, chairman of Serum Institute of India, was very impressed with her because she risked her life by jumping across a flooded river to vaccinate a baby. With roads blocked due to floods and landslides, she carried out her duty with remarkable courage and determination. He wanted to recognise and reward her. That’s why he decided to invite her to Pune,” said Jaswinder Narang, CEO, Villoo Poonawalla Foundation, which is part of the Serum Institute of India.
Dr Poonawalla felicitated her and gave her a cheque for Rs 5 lakh “as a goodwill gesture”. “We bore all her expenses, including her boarding and lodging. She came with her husband,” said Narang.
Her husband Karam Singh, a schoolteacher, is a proud man. “We boarded a plane and stayed in a five-star hotel — all for the first time. We had never dreamt about it. It was unbelievable,” said Singh.
For Kamla Devi, it was an “unexpected” turn of events. “Maybe God rewarded me for my work. Otherwise, aeroplane and five-star hotel never crossed our thoughts,” she said.
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The health worker has encashed the cheque and finalising her plans. “I want to distribute the amount equally on three heads of expenditure: my children’s education, their marriage and construction of house,” she said.
In September, she had also got an appreciation letter from Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla. “Aapka yeh karya samaj aur sewa bhavna ko nayi disha dene wala hai aur nishchit hi bhavishya mein anya sewakarmiyon ko bhi apne kartavyon ke prati aur adhik samparpit rahane hetu prerit karega (This act of yours will give a new direction to society and the spirit of service, and it will definitely inspire other service providers in future to be more dedicated to their duty),” said the Governor’s letter, dated September 23, 2025.
Kamla Devi is posted at Primary Health Centre, Sudhar, in Padhar tehsil of Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi — the district worst affected by the rain-induced disasters this monsoon. She crossed the raging rivulet because she was “worried about the baby”. “The mother couldn’t come for immunisation because of the weather. So, I thought I should reach them,” Devi had told The Indian Express over the phone. “The infant’s immunisation schedule demanded my immediate attention. There was nothing else on my mind.”
“The house of the mother-son duo falls under Health Sub-Centre, Swar. I had additional charge of this centre and the child was my additional responsibility. August 19 ko BMO (block medical officer) ne meri duty lagai thi (BMO had put me on duty there on August 19),” she had said.
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A resident of Tikker village in Padhar tehsil, she has two children — son is in Class 11 and daughter is in Class 9. She was appointed a health worker in 2015. Her first posting was in Chamba from 2015 from 2021. Since 2021, she has been serving in Mandi district of the hill state.
CAPTION: Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, chairman of Serum Institute of India, hands over a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to health worker Kamla Devi as her husband Karam Singh and Jaswinder Narang, CEO, Villoo Poonawalla Foundation, look on, in Pune; the appreciation letter by Himachal Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla. Express
