From a former investment banker assisting cancer patients to a woman bus driver shattering gender stereotypes – the top social stories of the week

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” And, even today, a lot of people are living by this adage. 

From a Uttarakhand-based social enterprise intending to bridge the urban-rural divide by offering healthcare, financial, and digital marketing services, to a woman who fought social stereotypes to become a bus driver in Haryana – several individuals are bringing about a positive change in the society through their contribution. 

Here are the top social stories of the week: 

This investment banker quit his job to help cancer patients survive the illness 

Just about two years ago, 29-year-old Kishan Shah could be found seated behind his desk, crunching numbers with eyes glued to the desktop screen amid stacks of papers.

As an investment banker, Kishan was just like any other youngster – highly ambitious and career-driven – and had worked with firms like JP Morgan and GIC. However, despite a lucrative pay and a slew of rewarding opportunities, he quit his job to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients. 

So, along with his college batchmate Dimple Parmar, Kishan started Love Heals Cancer, a Mumbai-based non-profit organisation to assist cancer patients, caregivers, and their families in their healing process through counselling and community support. He also took time out to understand the nitty-gritty surrounding cancer care and finished a slew of training programmes on subjects like mind-body-medicine, healing circles, therapies and retreats, mindful caregiving, oncology, and end of life conversation. Post his training, Kishan started motivating hundreds of people affected with cancer to fight the illness. 

Meet the woman bus driver who is shattering gender stereotypes

Ever heard of women driving buses? Despite progress, the commercial driving industry in India remains largely male-dominated. However, a 30-year-old woman from Ballah village in Karnal, Haryana, is a sign of the changing times. Archana has been driving in Karnal for almost five years now, and is happy that her work and service is finally being recognised. But she had to struggle to drive buses as the profession she chose is usually associated with men. 

Before driving city buses, Archana was a school bus driver. During that time, she had to fight the stigma as people doubted her skills solely because she was a woman. Some parents of students even complained to the school because she was doing the "job of a man". They even made her doubt herself by telling her that she could cause road accidents, which might lead to serious injuries or death. However, she hasn’t lost hope and is in praise of the #SheInspiresUs initiative by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

This man is selling protective face masks for Rs 2 each during the coronavirus outbreak

The coronavirus outbreak, recently categorised as a pandemic by the WHO, has led to mass hysteria and created panic among the population. Many are rushing to buy face masks to protect themselves. With the increasing demand, there has been a dearth of protective masks for healthcare workers. The costs of masks like the N95 are elevating as well. To address the shortage and the high costs, Thasleem PK sells surgical masks at his shop in Kochi for a menial price of Rs 2.

This gesture has gained a lot of attention as opposed to many pharmacies across the world which are taking advantage of the rising demand. Thasleem PK, the proprietor of Cochin Surgicals in Kochi, is one who is not looking to profit in the time of crisis. In just two days, the pharmacy has sold around 5,000 masks at subsidised prices. Despite the losses, Thasleem continues to sell these masks at the base price.

How this startup is providing free wheelchair services to people with disabilities

Ravindra Singh was diagnosed with post-polio paralysis when he was just eight-months-old. He and his family dealt with the personal and societal struggle that comes along with being a person with disabilities.

This led Ravindra to bring accessibility, assistance, and mobility to the PwD community and establish myUDAAN, a social impact startup conceived to aid people with disabilities and the elderly.

India’s first free wheelchair service, myUDAAN, was made operational at Seawoods Mall in Navi Mumbai in July 2019. This service aims to provide a stress-free experience for people with disabilities and works to promote accessible mobility efficiently. When the idea and strategy were still in the nascent stage, the self-funded, CIBA-incubated startup contemplated the best way to improve the access to mobility and transport that the elderly and the PwD community require.

Here’s how Sambaddha Global is bridging the rural-urban divide in Uttarakhand

Krishnappa is a resident of a village in Davangere, Karnataka, and makes a living as a farmer. He makes just enough money to survive. One day, he travels 60 km from his village to get his insurance renewed. Krishnappa, like tens of thousands of villagers across the country, is deprived of technology-based services. 

Moved by the plight of such people, Narayanan Rajagopalan and Anshu Kapoor launched Sambaddha Kendras in Uttarakhand in February 2019. The kendras offer healthcare and financial services, consumer products, skill development, upgraded farming tools and machinery, and digital marketing services under one roof. The duo is now running 650 such centres in Uttarakhand.

(Edited by Suman Singh)