Letters from NKF – old versus new

Mr. T. T. Durai taught me to be more "personal" in my writing,

And also the courage to write.

Yes, Mr. Durai, the man we love to hate.

(Just don’t quite like NKF leh!)

About 2 weeks ago I received a letter from the New NKF and was too busy to read it. I was in a better mood the last weekend to read what NKF have to say.

The way the new Chief Executive Officer of the New NKF wrote was very different from Mr Durai. It was a letter to thank and update us donors of what NKF has done, no different from any charitable organization. This set me thinking about Mr. Durai. Oh how I like to receive his old NKF letters.

Mr Durai’s letters addressed you personally. Reading his letters is like hearing him talking to you. There is this personal touch and emotional grieve for the suffering patients (sometime names are mentioned, and you know they are real people in real needs) when he wrote in his letters. Words like, “Mr. Lim, I am sure you …”; Mr. Lim this and Mr. Lim that … connects me to the cause of the NKF.

I became a donor through reading his letters way back in 1994 or 1995. (It was such a long time; I may have mistaken it by a year or two). Thereafter, I even volunteered to be an ambassador of NKF. The NKF ambassador approaches people and encourages them to donate to NKF.


Perhaps it was his style of writing that I feel for the patients in NKF. Also, there were frequent updates of newsletter and invitation from NKF.

I use to keep his letters until the NKF saga in 2005. Then I threw them all away. Still, I continue to support the NKF financially. Givers never quit. But I am disappointed about NKF management.

His writings may have influenced the way I write and blog. I try to make it personal, like talking to you. You know, my greatest phobia is composition. I never passed any composition in school. Blogging is the last thing I will ever do. After every post, I think I make a fool of myself.

(Still learning to write properly, leh!)

Mr. Durai, thank you.


PS: NKF = National Kidney Foundation (for those who are blur)