"Manvata" the Guardian of Humanity...

In 2018, major fire breaks out in slum area of Patil Estate, Warje in Pune, Maharashtra. Many houses were burnt in that fire. One of my friend had appealed on Facebook  for helping those people. So I shared his post on my WhatsApp and Facebook wall. A stranger- Mr.Nilesh Bachhav instantly replied on my Facebook post and inquired about the needs. So I told him the required things and in a single day, he managed to collect old clothes and blankets that too in good condition & properly packed. Then he sent those packed boxes to Pune with the help of my friend Mr.Parmeshwar. And thus our friendship started. I went through his facebook posts & got to know that he provides food and medical help to people living on the streets along with his friends -Mr.Kushal and Mr. Sai. Then I had a detailed call with Mr.Nilesh and Mr.Kushal just to get more information about their work.

Sai, Nilesh, destitute person, kushal & his friend

All three live in ulhasnagar, Thane and are devotees of god Saibaba. They visit the Saibaba temple every Thursday. They shared an incident of 2017. An handicapped & hungry aged man used to visit the temple every Thursday for the "prasad". Mr.Kushal used to feed him and then left him to his house nearby the temple. When Kushal did not available, then Nilesh took his place & do the same. This routine continued for two months. Then they had a thought of helping many such needy people rather than limiting it to only one. How & when- the thoughts were wandering in their minds all the time. They helped that handicapped  man almost a year. After that, they helped one aged lady living at Ambernath railway station. They managed to help her with meal and medicines upto six months then she died by cancer. They also helped physically challenged woman who was begging on the rail platform. They provided her room rent and meal.

Finding out such needy people is the biggest task for them. They search for such people nearby the railway stations on their way to work. If they find out any needy person, then they start to chase the person and try to find out where the person live? What he/she do for earnings? What is the actual problem? Their family background etc. But the most interesting thing is they do this work unknowingly. Started from three, now they had served hundreds of such people till the date. If they find out any injured person on streets, then they clean the injury and bathe that person . All this work has been distributed among themselves. Sai cleans the wounds , Nilesh do dressing of wounds and Kushal bathe that person. Sometimes such people need hospital treatments. Then they hospitalize that person on their own responsibility. They look after the person & visit him in hospital till the discharge. Whenever they spot an aged disinterested  person, then they send that person to the old age home-Janiv, as they are having good connection with the administration. By counselling, they try to collect information about that person's family and then post that information on social media so as to get his house address or any family related info. Many times they get positive response . But sometimes people threaten them and then Police helps them out to deal with such cases. If they find any serious disinterested aged person , then they hospitalize him by their own responsibility. If they face any issue in hospital then Mr.Manoj Panchal-administrative member of "Janiv" old age home, helps them out in that case.

While taking care of a destitute woman

Kushal and Nilesh had a habit of eating in unknown people's function with or without invitation. Once in a wedding function, they were insulted by the host as they were strangers. Instead of this, they had good meal & waited there observing people making fun. People used to throw remaining food from plate into garbage. When function is over, remaining extra food had been into garbage again. This made them anxious. They tried to convince the host-who already had insulted them-about the wastage of food and told him that this would have help hundreds of hungry people. They had debate over it & felt really bad for wastage of huge amount of food. By this incident, they had an idea of using this extra remained food. They started appealing people on social media to call them for collecting extra remained food in their functions (weddings/ birthday parties)& we will provide it to hungry people. They shared their post on each social platform. They Din’t get any positive response till a month but they continued sharing the posts. After a month in June 2018, they had a call from Mr.Chintaman Aahire from ulhasnagar to collect extra remained food. Nilesh & Kushal both reached out at the location & collected food and distributed it amongst poor hungry people residing at Ambernath. After that, they received only three calls in three months. By the time people started responding and trusting them. As response increased, they started to feed people living on footpath.

While bathing destitute person

They shared an incident about the same. Meanwhile they collected the food from function and started distribution amongst people living on footpath in Ambarnath, people doubted on them and refused to eat that food and in contrary rises lot questions like ‘Who are you?’ ’why you are feeding us even you don't know us?’ They explained people about their work & convinced them about their purpose. Also they sat down with those people on the street and had same meal with them. People were satisfied by their behaviour.  They have maintained all the records of this activity with donation place, date, donor name, food items, quantity of food.  Till December 2019, they had 170 no. of food donors. Till the date, they have covered all the slum area from badlapur to dombivli in Mumbai. They use social media to offer their sincere thanks to the food donor. By the experience of these 1st two activities, they used to keep plastic plates, bowls and glass with them to serve the food. If they got a call from dombivli then they distribute the food in same locality. With this habit, they have searched all the premises near railway stations. Now they have fixed five to six spots in Ulhasnagar. The posts of these activities become viral on social media. Now they are receiving huge response. They shared an incident which recently happened. Mr.Chetan Bhoir from dombivli donates food of hundred people on every full moon day. So Kushal & Nilesh were on their way to collect that food and they noticed bike accident on the road and biker was unconscious. A lot people have gathered there, but no one was helping him. Nilesh and his friend spotted the guy. They provided first aid to biker & banded his injuries. This act shows their humanity.

Blood Donation camp

As the work is increasing, youngsters from different places are joining them. They have unanimously decided one name for this activity as “Maanvata"(Humanity). Few members from this group have stickers of words "Maanvata" on their bike & have same ringtone. By inspiration of “Maanvata team” work, Mr.Ravi Dongare started same work activity in Loni village, Pune and Mr.Indrajit Gaikwad started same work in Osmanabad through his 'Pratiksha Foundation'. Team "Maanvata" also arrange blood camps. Every year, they distribute clothes and Diwali Faral in one pada in Tembha village. They also arrange some medical facilities there. Their target is to cover complete village. Mr.Nilesh and Mr.Kushal both are from a lower-middle-class family. They have devoted their lives in this work. Sometimes their family argues over it. But Nilesh used to say that my elder brother is for family and I am for the Society. Nilesh has completed his ITI & now working in private sector.  Mr.Kushal is an engineer and working in Metro rail co-operation. They follow simple & effective thought as ‘A human being can only save a human being' . They have a clear vision as 'Save humanity to save humans'. So let’s make a better world by joining them.

Written by : Shailesh Dinkar Patil

Translate by : Vikas Thakre

Edited by : Mayuri Patil-yevale