Founded in 1994 through a partnership between the Indian Cancer Society (Karnataka Chapter) and Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar, Karunashraya grew from a pioneering hospice initiative into an institution that has served more than 30,000 patients while helping shape the development of palliative care in India.
The Problem Nobody Wanted to Talk About
In the early 1990s, cancer care in India was primarily focused on awareness, diagnosis, and treatment. Hospitals and oncologists understandably concentrated their efforts on helping patients recover or extend their lives through available medical interventions. Yet there existed a group of patients who often fell through the cracks of the healthcare system — those whose disease had progressed to a stage where curative treatment was no longer possible.
For these patients and their families, the challenge was very different. Physical pain, emotional distress, caregiver exhaustion, financial pressures, and uncertainty about the future often became part of daily life. Yet very few institutions existed to help families navigate this difficult phase of illness — a field now known as palliative care, which focuses not on curing disease but on relieving suffering and preserving quality of life. In India at the time, this discipline barely existed.
It was this unmet need that caught the attention of a small group of individuals in Bengaluru, whose conclusion was both simple and profound: even when a disease could no longer be cured, patients still deserved professional care, relief from suffering, emotional support, and the opportunity to spend their remaining time with comfort and dignity. This belief would eventually lead to the creation of Bangalore Hospice Trust – Karunashraya, dedicated to serving patients who had long remained on the margins of conventional healthcare.
The People Behind the Vision
Institutions are often remembered by their names, buildings, or services. Yet every enduring institution begins with individuals who recognise a need that others have overlooked and commit themselves to addressing it over the long term.
Among the foremost of these pioneers was Kishore Rao, whose interest in cancer care was deeply personal, shaped by his mother's battle with the disease. In 1986, he played an instrumental role in establishing the Karnataka chapter of the Indian Cancer Society, focusing on awareness and support initiatives. Over time, however, he became increasingly aware of the challenges faced by patients whose treatment options had been exhausted — a realisation that became one of the driving forces behind Karunashraya.
Equally important was Dr. Nagesh Simha, a surgeon and long-time member of Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar. After decades in surgical practice, he became one of India's pioneers in palliative care and among the founders of the institution. His medical experience, combined with a deep commitment to service, helped shape Karunashraya's clinical approach and long-term direction.
The partnership itself was unusual and remains one of the institution's defining strengths. On one side stood the Indian Cancer Society (Karnataka Chapter), bringing experience in cancer awareness and patient support. On the other stood Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar, contributing organisational capacity, community mobilisation, and a tradition of public service. Together, they established the Bangalore Hospice Trust, creating a platform through which the idea could be translated into reality.
What distinguished these founders was not merely their recognition of a problem, but their willingness to create an institution dedicated to addressing it. Rather than viewing the need as a temporary charitable effort, they sought to build an organisation capable of delivering professional support on a sustained basis.
Building Karunashraya
Having identified the need, the founders faced a more difficult challenge: transforming an idea into a functioning institution. In the early 1990s, hospice and palliative care were still relatively unfamiliar concepts in India. Building a dedicated facility required not only funding and infrastructure, but also the confidence that patients, families, medical professionals, and the wider community would embrace a new approach to care.
On 26 October 1994, the vision formally came to life with the establishment of Karunashraya. What distinguished the organisation from many charitable initiatives of the period was its determination to build a professional institution rather than a short-term service project. Doctors, nurses, counsellors, physiotherapists, volunteers, and administrative staff were brought together to create a multidisciplinary system capable of addressing the varied needs of patients and their families.
The physical environment was also carefully considered. Located near Kundalahalli in Bengaluru, the facility was designed to provide a calm and supportive setting. Its architecture later received international recognition, earning a place in the Phaidon Atlas of 20th Century World Architecture — a distinction rarely associated with healthcare facilities in India.
Evidence of the institution's growth can be seen in its capacity. Historical records from 2011 refer to a 50-bed inpatient facility, while the hospice today operates as a 73-bed centre, indicating that the organisation expanded as demand and capabilities increased. Over the years, Karunashraya matured from a pioneering experiment into a professionally managed organisation, operating today with a workforce of more than 160 personnel, including doctors, nurses, counsellors, physiotherapists, and dedicated home-care teams. More than three decades on, the institution continues to build upon the foundation laid by its founders, volunteers, medical professionals, donors, and trustees.
Taking Care Beyond Hospital Walls
One of Karunashraya's most significant innovations was the recognition that not every patient could travel regularly to a hospice facility. Many patients were physically frail, dependent on family members, or simply more comfortable in familiar surroundings. If care was to reach those who needed it most, the institution would have to extend its services beyond its own campus.
To address this challenge, Karunashraya launched a home-care programme in 1994 — from the very beginning of its operations — and is regarded as the first hospice in India to provide free home-care services for terminally ill cancer patients. Over the years, the programme has supported more than 5,000 patients in their homes.
Rather than functioning as a simple visiting service, home care was designed as a multidisciplinary programme. Each team typically consists of nurses, a physiotherapist, a health assistant, and a social worker who travel across Bengaluru to assess patients, manage symptoms, provide counselling, and guide families through the practical realities of caregiving. Families are often taught how to make patients more comfortable, recognise changes in their condition, and cope with the physical and emotional demands of long-term caregiving.
An important feature of the model is its flexibility. Patients can move between home care and inpatient care depending on their condition: if a home-care team determines that a patient would benefit from more intensive support, admission to the hospice may be recommended. This integration allows Karunashraya to provide continuity of care rather than treating home-based and inpatient services as separate programmes. Today, the institution operates three home-care teams across Bengaluru, demonstrating that its impact extends far beyond its physical boundaries.
The Odisha Chapter: Scaling a Proven Model
For most voluntary organizations, creating a successful local institution is a significant achievement. Replicating that model in another state is a far more demanding challenge. By the early 2020s, however, Karunashraya had accumulated nearly three decades of experience, creating an opportunity to extend its work beyond Karnataka.
That opportunity emerged in Odisha through the support of Subroto Bagchi and Susmita Bagchi. While Subroto Bagchi is widely known as a technology entrepreneur, author, and co-founder of Mindtree, he and Susmita Bagchi have also been active philanthropists with a strong commitment to healthcare and social development. Inspired by Karunashraya's work, they partnered with the Bangalore Hospice Trust to establish a similar institution in Odisha.
The result was the Bagchi Karunashraya Palliative Care Centre (BKPCC) in Bhubaneswar. Built on a 20-acre campus at Info Valley-II, it represents one of the largest dedicated palliative-care centres in India, supported by a ₹130-crore philanthropic commitment from the Bagchi family and land and other backing from the Government of Odisha.
Unlike a conventional hospice, the campus was conceived as a comprehensive healthcare ecosystem: a 110-bed inpatient facility, an education and research block, a nursing hostel, staff housing, accommodation for patient attendants, and a 500-seat auditorium intended to support training and awareness activities.
Importantly, the Odisha initiative did not wait for the physical campus to become fully operational before beginning its work. Home-care services were launched first, reaching patients across Bhubaneswar, Khordha, and surrounding areas with pain management, wound care, symptom relief, counselling, and caregiver support. By April 2025, these teams had served 688 patients through more than 5,490 home visits, while the inpatient facility had cared for 412 patients.
The significance of the Odisha project extends beyond its physical scale. It demonstrated that the model developed in Bengaluru could be adapted and implemented elsewhere through a combination of professional expertise, philanthropy, government support, and community participation. Few civil society institutions reach a stage where their experience becomes the foundation for a major initiative in another region of the country. In many ways, Bagchi Karunashraya represents the next chapter in the evolution of what began in Bengaluru in 1994.
Funding an Institution Built on Service
Creating a hospice is a significant undertaking. Sustaining one for more than three decades while providing services free of cost is an even greater challenge. Unlike many healthcare institutions that rely on patient fees, Karunashraya was founded on the principle that advanced-stage cancer patients should receive professional palliative care regardless of their financial circumstances.
Maintaining such a model requires a broad base of support. Over the years, the institution has relied on a combination of individual donations, philanthropic contributions, corporate social responsibility (CSR) partnerships, volunteer involvement, and institutional collaborations — enabling it to offer inpatient care, home care, counselling, physiotherapy, caregiver support, and educational initiatives without direct cost to patients.
Partnerships have played a central role from the very beginning. The collaboration between the Indian Cancer Society and Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar provided not only the vision but also the network of supporters required to sustain it. That circle later expanded to include donors, corporate partners, healthcare professionals, volunteers, charitable trusts, and community organizations. The Odisha expansion showed the same principle at work on a larger scale: philanthropic capital, public support, and institutional expertise coming together to create healthcare infrastructure of significant size.
Yet funding alone does not guarantee longevity. Institutions endure when donors and stakeholders develop confidence in their governance, transparency, and ability to deliver meaningful outcomes. Karunashraya's continued growth over more than thirty years suggests it has been able to earn and retain that trust. For civil society organizations, the lesson is clear: meaningful social impact rarely depends on a single donor or funding source, but is built through a network of partnerships, community support, professional management, and reputation carefully earned over time.
Conclusion
More than three decades after its founding, Karunashraya stands as an example of what can happen when a neglected social need is met with vision, leadership, and sustained commitment. What began as a collaboration between two organizations in Bengaluru evolved into a professionally managed institution that has cared for approx. more than 30,000 patients and 130,000+ beneficiaries while helping establish palliative care as an important component of healthcare in India.
The story of Karunashraya is not merely about a hospice. It is the story of individuals such as Kishore Rao and Dr. Nagesh Simha, alongside countless healthcare professionals, volunteers, donors, and community leaders who chose to address a challenge that few were willing to confront. Their efforts transformed an idea into an institution capable of delivering inpatient care, home care, professional training, research, and caregiver support on a sustained basis — and, through its Bhubaneswar chapter, of inspiring healthcare infrastructure far beyond Karnataka.
For civil society, perhaps the most important lesson is that meaningful change often begins by recognising needs that others overlook. In 1994, a small group of people in Bengaluru recognised such a need and chose to act. More than thirty years later, the institution they created continues to serve patients and families — proof that some of society's most valuable contributions are measured not only by the problems they solve, but by the support they provide when it is needed most.
Additional Reading on Palliative Care
Palliative care is a special kind of care for people living with a serious illness — such as cancer, or advanced disease of the heart, lungs, or kidneys. Instead of trying to cure the illness, its goal is to relieve pain, ease symptoms, and help the person live as comfortably and fully as possible for however long they have. It looks after not just the body, but also the mind and spirit — offering emotional support, helping with fear or anxiety, and giving practical guidance to families who are caring for their loved one.
Importantly, palliative care is not the same as "giving up." It is an active, hands-on form of care delivered by specially trained doctors, nurses, and counsellors. Hospices like Karunashraya provide this care free of charge to patients whose illness can no longer be cured, focusing on dignity, comfort, and quality of life — so that no one has to spend their final days in avoidable pain, and their families don't have to face that journey alone.
#Karunashraya #BangaloreHospiceTrust #PalliativeCare #HospiceCare #CancerCare #HealthcareInIndia #CivilSociety #SocialImpact #InstitutionBuilding #NonProfitLeadership #HealthcareLeadership #KishoreRao #NageshSimha #RotaryInternational #IndianCancerSociety #PatientCare #CaregiverSupport #CommunityService #Philanthropy #SocialEntrepreneurship #SubrotoBagchi #SusmitaBagchi #BagchiKarunashraya #HealthcareInnovation #IndiaDevelopment
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