CORONA – SOCIETY AND ITS AWARENESS

On 24th March 2020, the first lockdown of 21 days declared in India, Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi against COVID-19 pandemic. Without any realisation or prior preparation everything was suddenly stuck within the four walls of homes. Every single shops, factories, hotels, fast food carts, deliveries, business, transports, etc. was shut down. First few days had been passed in curiosity of sudden holiday and with the hope that all this will resolve shortly and we once again start with our daily running life. But very soon everyone get to know that this pandemic will not going to leave us that easily and early, it will be going to a long and very slow fight against WE and COVID-19. At first lockdown is not had an effect on financially middle class and upper class people lives but it has done drastically harmful effect on financially lower/daily working class people lives, whose daily existence depends only on their day to day earning, who has no saving for tomorrow and who has no plans for tomorrow. 

Various socials services are come forward and raised awareness and help from society for this financially lower class people. But everyone is not or unable to connect with social services. Also every time there is no need of any organizations to one who wants to do something for this people, who are major a part of our society or we can say that because of whom this society actually runs.

My school friend Amol Patil and his friend Mahesh Hegade has started helping to the needy people with their own consciousness without any big help from any organization or government. From the day of lockdown to continue Eighty-Four days this two friends has been distributed essential materials/products in cities e.g. “Dombivali”, “Ulhasnagar”, “Murbad”, “Kalyan”, “Titwala”, “Jalgaon”, “Manmad”, “Silvasa” etc. All those peoples who received help are the families working on a daily basis and do not have any income source during lockdown. As of now they had successfully did help around thousand families with food and groceries, enough for at least Eight to Ten days each time.

Kit of Groceries products

Amol and Mahesh are neighbours but they did become good friends in the gym where both used to work out together. Mahesh has his own gym in Titwala city (near Kalyan) and he is also the native citizen of Titwala. They had started their journey in 2016 with the helping to the needy social organizations. Amol always have awareness for society and wanted to do good deeds but never understand how and where to start. Ones he had a chances to attain the social activity in rural area arranged by Mr. Vinayak Koli. Mr. Koli is a known personality in Karate art of Titwala city and also the owner of Karate class. Amol is the student of him. Mr. Koli had arranged the social activity in the tribal pada and require additional volunteer, and he asked Amol to do participate, Amol was also eager to do something good and agreed immediately. When Amol did visit at pada with the team of Mr. Koli, he saw the actual situation of ground level and felt horrible about the reality of the local peoples, that they are facing difficulties in very basic things of humans lives, the schools was also in very bad conditions and the basic education was like a privilege to them. At that time without any further delay, waiting for good opportunities he decided to do whatever he can on his level. Amol shared his thought with Mahesh, he also like them and soon they become team. At first they successfully organized some program with social organization “Raje Pratishthan” after that started working on their own without any big name or organization. 

During distribution on various places

In 2017 they known about the “Ankur Sanstha”. It is the social organization work for the homeless childrens, e.g. distributing food and snacks or celebrating their birthdays and trying to engage them with different educational activities etc. This year with Ankur Sanstha, Amol and Mahesh arranged rainy season sandals for homeless children.

They also did help to other social sansthas during lockdown, “Aaichi Savali” (Mothers shadow) and “Jeevan Sanvardhan”, both organization work for the childrens, The “Aaichi Savali” is especially work for children of womens working in the RED LIGHT AREAS.

During Rainy season sandals distribution at “Ankur Seva Trust” 

Amol and Mahesh was also encourage others on social media to come forward and help the financially lower class people, with the responses to their challenge many came forward and offered donations from 100 to 1000 rupees. Totally collected donation was around Fifteen thousand rupees. They even provided donation receipt to donors and also shared proper details that where to the money is going to used. In various location where every time Mahesh and Amol unable to reach, they have still somehow arranged to provide services with help of their friends. It’s just a team of two people but their work is slowly start expanding now. Even for the groceries one of the Shopkeeper from Titwala, supply them all material on monthly credit basis.  

Amol and Mahesh

Mahesh has his own gym in Titwala and except that he also do construction work. He also have one farm house where grocery kits packing has been done and for the same they have appointed one person on monthly paid basis. They have not just give their time and efforts to this work but also do spend their own savings. Mahesh has keep his gold as mortgage when they had need of money.  

Amol is came from middle class family and work in the IT firm “Atos Global”. He also withdraw one lakhs fifty thousand rupees from his LIC policy for this work. 

One day one of friend of Amol asked him until when you both are going to do this work with emptying your own pockets? Amol humbly reply him, until we can able to spend our last penny or even when we may have a lots of debt on us. We may need to stop for a while in the future, but still we are going to find the way to keep doing this again and again. That’s why in Marathi we say “इच्छा तेथे मार्ग”, meaning “When there is will, there is an always a way”.

Written By Shailesh Dinkar Patil

Edited by Jyoti A. Jagtap