PANCHAAMRITAM 172
ONE
Shri. Elangovan is an employee in a rural branch of a cooperative bank. His wife, an M.Phil., was a state government employee. One fine morning, she told Elangovan that she had resigned her job. "I want to devote more time with our mother" was her crisp explanation. "Our mother" is, in fact, her mother-in-law. The old lady had been in a condition that called for an attendant at her side always. All along, Elangovan had looked after her. But how? A BE, MBA, he routinely spurned job opportunities that required him to stay away from his mother. Over the years, he avoided visits outside his village so that he could attend on his mother uninterrupted. Now, the loving wife, inspired by Elangovan's love for his mother, takes her turn in continuing the matru seva. Her assurance to Elangovan: "I can manage the household within the single income hereafter". This couple, married for ten years now, live contentedly, serving the mother, in Guruvaalapparkovil, off Jayamkondam, in Perambalur district, 240 kms from Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat).
Based on a letter from Shri. Chandrasekaran, RSS worker of Ariyalur, to Team PANCHAAMRITAM
TWO
Shri. Parthiban and Shri. Devanathan, young IT professionals of Chennai, celebrated the 2007 Deepavali with inmates of `Nele', an orphanage near Bangalore, the city where they were trainees at the Infosys Training Centre at that time. A movie they had watched during the previous weekend had moved them to serve the needy. The picture spoke of the hardships of poor tenants as IT boom caused hike in rents. The duo impressed upon the 350 trainees as well to join their seva plan. Thus was born `Swarga' (meaning heaven). The training over, they had to disperse soon. They did not lose heart. They saw to it that `Swarga' branched out to several places where its members (employees of many IT companies) were deployed. Swarga focuses on education – they want to start a `library' for poor professional students and support poor children at primary level.
Based on a note by a volunteer to Team PANCHAAMRITAM
THREE
A bamboo bicycle: the frame and handles are made of bamboo; conventional material for the brakes, chain and tyres; glass fibre replaces nuts and bolts to join the frame. Weighing 15 kg, 2 kg less than conventional bicycles, it does not fall short on features, like gears. drives Vijay Sharma, 34, a manufacturer of office furniture, has developed the bicycle. His cycle can withstand bumpy rides, and has global enthusiasts interested. "If we mass produce this, it could prevent so many tonnes of iron ore being converted to steel to manufacture cycles, and thus, even fewer emissions," says Sharma. For now, he has set up a workshop in Nagpur under the supervision of his friend Vaibhav Kaley. They are making only 10 such bicycles initially, each of which will sell for Rs 10,000. Vijay believes that his bamboo bicycle is so strong that he can take it on the 900-km, eight-day ride called the Tour of Nilgiris. The tour, which is the longest organised bicycle ride in the country and goes through punishing terrain, could very well be the litmus test for the bicycle. Using bamboo to build a bicycle frame results in saving about 3.5 kgs of non-renewable steel. That's quite a saving when you think about bicycles in millions.
Based on reports in INDIA TODAY of September 10, 2009 andwww.dnaindia.com, September 20, 2009.
FOUR
For the past 30 years, T S Aboobaker has been reaching Kadiyali junction (in Bangalore, Karnataka, Bharat) at 8.15 AM, just when traffic peaks. His job: manning traffic at the busy junction and helping school children cross the roads. He is on this job till 10 AM. And then he is back at the same junction at 4 PM when schoolchildren go home, and continues till 5 PM. One fateful day 30 years ago, while at work, he saw a young school boy being knocked down by a bus. Aboobaker rushed across and carried the boy to hospital. Timely intervention saved the little one's life. And it was then that he decided that he would help school children cross the road safely. He runs a small business of making seat cushions for two-wheelers and school bags at Kunjibettu. His prized possession: the traffic warden's uniform that home minister Dr. V S Acharya presented him with. "I intend to take care of school children as long as I have strength in my body," he says.
Based on a report in THE TIMES OF INDIA OF July 14, 2009
FIVE
A motorcyclist fell from his vehicle and got injured after being hit by a speeding car at the busy Vijay Chowk (in New Delhi, Bharat). Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was also going on the same route, stepped out of her car to help the motorcyclist."Didi" as she is known among her followers was true to her spirits when she saw the accident and instructed her staff to arrange water for the injured. After taking the motorcyclist aside, she asked him about his well being. Clad in her traditional cotton sari, Mamata Banerjee took out first aid box from her car and put 'band-aid' on the scratches of the motorcyclist herself. But when media-personnel started hounding her, she was quick to leave the place saying her car was parked in a 'No Parking Zone' and that policemen may challan her for the same.
Based on a report in INDIAN EXPRESS, June 4, 2009
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