PANCHAAMRITAM 287
(pancha is five in
samskritam; amritam is nectar)
Amavaasya /
Kali Yugabda 5117 / Manmatha Karthigai 25 (December 11, 2015)
ONE
Suman
Dhoiphode (37), works at the CIP Lounge as a janitor at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati
Shivaji International Airport’s Terminal 2 (Maharashtra, Bharat).The lounge is
accessible only to first class and business class fliers. In an exemplary show
of honesty, she returned a passenger’s four diamond rings worth Rs 40 lakhs on October
28. Suman found the rings lying inside the washroom’s basin while cleaning it.
She couldn’t find the passenger but reported the matter to the Airport
Operator. The passenger, however, while boarding the aircraft, had realized
that she had forgotten her rings in the washroom and had notified the ‘Lost and
Found’ department via email. The department handed them over to the passenger
in the flight. Said Suman, who has studied till Std X, “I am happy that my
efforts could make someone get her valuables back. I have always been honest in
my work and also teach my children the same.” Suman has a family of four with
husband and two children. She has been working ever since she got married to
support her family. Her husband works in a security company at Grant Road. Suman
was rewarded both by the Airport Operator and SILA Group (Suman’s employer) with
Rs 1,000 cash each, a certificate and a trophy on November 24. (Based on a
report by Smt Neha LM Tripathi in MID DAY, November 30, 2015). Idea: Shri
Vasuvaj.
TWO
Living
up to her name that means light of the world, Noor Jahan has been spreading
light in at least 500 homes in Bairi Dariyaon in Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh, Bharat)
and its neighbouring villages for the last 10 years. A mother of seven who became
a widow 25 years ago, Noor Jahan came in contact with Shramik Bharti, an NGO
teaching people about the power of solar energy. An inspired Noor Jahan
proposed to distribute solar lanterns in 50 houses of her village. “I convinced people to use solar lamps as
they were cheaper and safer,” she recalled. The next hurdle was how to charge
these lamps. Noor Jahan formed a group that helped her set up a solar power
centre equipped with solar panels. She began to rent out the lanterns for Rs
100 per month. Every evening, villagers come to collect a charged lantern and
return it in the morning. From the money that she earns, Noor Jehan deposits Rs
1,700 in the centre for maintenance. (When Prime Minister Narendra Modi told
the nation about her good work in his radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on
November 29, 2015, it came as a pleasant surprise for 55-year-old Noor Jahan). (Based
on a report in HINDUSTAN TIMES, November 30, 2015).
THREE
A
group of like-minded loco pilots in Chennai Central railway station (Tamilnadu,
Bharat) felt a need for an organisation to help the hundreds of destitute and
orphaned people who make railway stations their home — sometimes even without
food and proper clothing. D Kulararasan, a loco pilot and one of the founders
of the organisation, Good Samaritan Saviours, says, years back, when he got off the locomotive he
saw a weak and malnourished woman lying
on Platform No 1. She had raging fever
and was unable to move. “I contacted an NGO, they came and helped rehabilitate
her”. That was before his group was formed. “We contribute Rs 200 every month.
We spend the money for rehabilitating the destitute. We help NGOs to take care
of the people we rescue,” explains G Rajapandian, one of the members of the
organisation. Started in 2004, the group has helped over 125 destitute and
orphaned people at railway stations last year. “We began with hardly 10 people,
but now we have over 50 loco-pilots in the organisation. People who see a
destitute person at railway stations across Chennai and other cities give us a
call,” adds G Rajapandian, another member.
“We work 102 hours a fortnight running locomotives, and hardly get time
for such things. In case we need to attend to destitute people, whoever gets a
two-hour break does what’s needed. The
pilot leaves after two hours and hands over to the next pilot who gets his
break,” he says. Many of the rescued people have been reunited with their
families. (Based on a report by Smt
Sinduja Jane in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, November 30, 2015).
FOUR
Namrata
Mahajan, travelling in 18030 Shalimar-Mumbai Express on November 26, 2015,
tweeted to the railway ministry’s handle (@RailMinIndia) that she was
travelling alone and a male passenger was harassing her. She was asked to
provide her seat and coach number and her current location. At the next
station, about 40 minutes later, RPF attended to her complaint. Central Railway
chief PRO Narendra Patil said a senior officer, Ved Prakash, immediately noted
the tweet and contacted him to take steps to address the matter.“Mahajan had
not given full details of the train she was travelling in. So a reply seeking
details of her train and her berth position was sent to her twitter handle. She
was also asked to contact security helpline number 182, which she did after
sometime and also gave details about her position via twitter,” said Patil, who
had by then alerted the Divisiional Railway Manager at Bhusaval station to get
ready to attend to the aggrieved passenger.
Namrata thus got swift help from Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu after
she tweeted to the Ministry. (Based on a report in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS,
November 28, 2015).
FIVE
** ‘Men of RSS have proved that there is
no religious divide in the mitigation of misery. As Swayamsevaks of RSS were
doing flood relief work in Villivakkam in Chennai, a Muslim who came there
said, “by the abundant mercy of Allah I could rescue my family members from
flood; I want to see the status of my house now. But as flood water has entered
the house, I dare not step inside. Can you help me?” Immediately Swayamsevaks
helped the Muslim’ (Reported THE HINDU – TAMIL of December 10, 2015). ** A
Muslim lady by name Ameena Bivi expressed through a Facebook post (@Ameena Pivi)
her gratitude towards the flood relief work of RSS volunteers in Thiruvallikeni,
Chennai, where she had taken refuge in a Vishnu temple along with a lot of
flood hit people. DINAMALAR of December 10, 2015 carried it. Excerpts: “RSS
volunteers who perform relief work in our area were like sons of God for us.
They work day and night devotedly as they would if their own families were
affected. They enter fearlessly in worst affected areas where even army and
police would not. They help all – women, children and the aged and also salvage
their properties from water. I had been believing in Islamists when they said
that RSS men were saffron terrorists; in
my heart of hearts I pray to Vishnu in whose temple I have taken refuge, to
forgive me for all that.” (From THE
HINDU TAMIL and DINAMALR -- both of December 10, 2015).
OOOOOOOO
If you want your
friend or someone to receive
PANCHAAMRITAM in
the inbox regularly, please ask the person to send an email to
It is FREE!
OOOOOOOOO
