PANCHAAMRITAM 296
(pancha is five in
samskritam; amritam is nectar)
Poornima /
Kali Yugabda 5118 / Durmuki Chithirai 8 (April 21, 2016)
*Posted
on April 25, 2016*
ONE
I had mentioned in the passing
that if you could bear the load of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per year, then why
don’t you give up gas subsidy, so that the poor families could benefit. I am happy to tell you that one crore
families have voluntarily given up subsidy on gas cylinder. There are several
modes to do that – through the mobile phone app, online or give a missed call.
But I find that 80 percent of the one crore families went to the distributor,
stood in queue and gave in writing that they were surrendering the subsidy.
They were not rich. They mostly belonged to the lower middle class section –
consisting of retired school teachers, retired clerks, farmers or small time
traders. I am proud of all of them. By this move they have sent out a message
to the political class and economists that the common man should be taken into
confidence. Once it is done, unprecedented results ensue. (Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi in his monthly radio talk ‘Mann Ki baat’ aired on April 24,
2016).
TWO
Shri Somnath Giram, a
30-year-old tea-seller of Pune, is set to turn into the symbol of education in
Maharashtra. His struggle has impressed Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra
Fadnavis who finds him the most appropriate aam aadmi to boost the state’s
education campaign. He has been roped in by the BJP-led state government to
motivate students across universities in the state by narrating his inspiring
story. Son of a farmer in Solapur, Giram migrated to Pune (Maharashtra, Bharat)
in 2006, after his family was unable to bear his education cost. He was a BCom
dropout who came to the city, hoping to complete his education and find an
alternative job as well. Giram had to work as a tea-seller in the city.
Throughout the day, he used to sell tea at his stall, earning roughly Rs
10,000-12,000. After a tiring day, he used to study in the nights. This process
continued for nearly 10 years during which he pursued BCom, MCom and finally
cleared Chartered Accountancy (CA). Completing the CA course was an
unprecedented achievement, especially for a person who was working hard to earn
his daily bread. The course has a success rate of merely 5 per cent.
Maharashtra government chose him as their first layman ambassador. Giram is
currently employed by an accountancy firm based in Pune. He has rented his
tea-stall to migrants from his village. The CA is all set to lecture college
students on behalf of the Maharashtra government and inspire them to adopt his
‘earn and learn’ module of studying. (From a report by Shri Mohammed Uzair
Shaikh in http://www.india.com/news/india/somnath-giram-1128802/
on
April 22, 2016).
THREE
A woman two wheeler rider –
Sivagayathri, 36 - was killed in a road accident in Velachery, Chennai, when a
blue metal laden truck ran over her. Two girl students who were nearby swung
into action. They covered the body properly. Informed the relatives and police.
Aiswarya, an MBA student and Jesi, a journalism student stood guard over the
body till police reached. Aiswarya tried to reach the relatives of the deceased
using Sivagayathri’s mobile. But, as it was in locked mode she spoke to her
office number found on the ID card. When colleagues from Sivagayathri’s office
arrived, she spoke to Sivagayathri’s father with their help. Both the students
struggled for an hour to locate Sivagayathri’s father and broke the news
without alarming him. The police personnel lauded the efforts of the girls.
Just recently the Supreme Court had accepted the government of India’s
announcement that those who help road accident victims would be protected from
police and legal harassment. The two girls put that to test by their action.
Aiswarya and Jesy said they learnt that contact numbers of relatives should be
kept in a written form so that it would help matters in an emergency (Based on a report in
DINAMALAR, April 20, 2016).
FOUR
A young man in his
thirties used to stand on the footpath opposite the famous Tata Cancer Hospital
at Mumbai (Maharashtra, Bharat) and stare at the crowd in front- fear plainly
written upon the faces of the patients standing at death’s door; their
relatives with equally grim faces running around. These sights disturbed him
greatly. Most of the patients were poor people from distant towns. They had no
idea whom to meet, or what to do. They had no money for medicines, not even
food. At last he found a way- He rented out his own hotel that was doing good
business and raised some money. From these funds he started a charitable
activity right opposite Tata Cancer Hospital, on the pavement. The activity
consisted of providing free meals for cancer patients and their relatives. Beginning
with fifty, the numbers of patients increased, so did the number of helping hands.
The number soon reached 700. Shri Harakhchand Sawla, for that was the name of
the pioneer, did not stop here. He started supplying free medicines for the
needy. A toy banks was opened for kids suffering from cancer. The ‘Jeevan Jyot’
trust founded by Sawla now runs more than 60 humanitarian projects. Sawla, now
57 years old, works with the same vigour. (From THE INDIAN EXPRESS, FEBRUARY
10, 2015). Idea: Shri S. Nagarajan.
FIVE
Shri Chandrakumar, an MBA from Tiruchy
(Tamilnadu, Bharat), felt restless over the shifting fortunes at work place. In
order to put an end to all this, he toyed with the idea of a start up. Shri
Kamaraj and Shri Sathish Kumar, also MBAs who had similar aspirations, joined
him. Chandra Kumar as a boy had worked as a newspaper delivery hand. His
customers used to ask him whether he needed old paper. He had no use for it
then. Now he decided to go door to door, buy old newpapers and sell them using
technology. They launched a site www.kuppavandi.com in
2012, wherein Tiruchy residents could convey to the team the time and date for
paper collection. The trio confirmed the same and began procuring old paper.
They did smooth business in this manner.
At the outset, families dismissed them as lads dealing in old paper, but
once they learnt of the background of the trio, they invited them inside to
occasional refreshments and coffee. Gradually they diversified the business –
procuring any used domestic article from electrical gadgets to empty milk
sachets to old furniture. They visit 10 to 15 families in a locality in a day
and shift locality the day next. Clad in blue uniform the trio move about in a
mini lorry, collect articles, pay the estimated amount and dump them in a rented
warehouse. The articles are segregated and resold to those who need them.
As a service activity they place
saplings in plastic containers that come their way and donate them to the
families they do business with. (Based on a report by Shri L. Murugaraj in DINAMALAR,
September 15, 2015).
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