From being abducted by Maoists to quitting job in the US to help others – this week’s top social stories
This week, Social Story brings to you stories of people who are helping different communities, be it through distribution of food to the underprivileged, or bringing together the hyperlocal spaces.
Warren Buffet once said “If you’re in the luckiest one percent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 percent.”
While 81-year-old Khaira Baba distributed food free of cost to the migrant workers who took to the highways to get back to their hometowns, a trio of brothers in Bengaluru is distributing milk, an essential nutrient, to under privileged families.
This week, Social Story witnessed several heart-warming stories of people who are helping different communities, be it through distribution of food to the underprivileged, or bringing together the hyperlocal spaces.
Here are the top Social Stories of the week
Meet the man who was abducted by Maoists and pledged to give back to society
The Giridih district of Jharkhand is not only known for its plateaus, mines, and dense hilly terrains, but also for its Naxal activity. And, 31-year-old Vamsi Vardhan was caught in the crossfire while organising a welfare camp in 2014 as part of the Prime Minister Rural Development Fellowship (PMRDF) in one of the remote areas of Nakania village.
After three days of being held captive in the jungles of Parasnath Hills, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) carried out a successful rescue operation.
The encounter with the Maoists left Vamsi flustered, but heightened his resolve to enter public service. So, he continued serving as a PRMD fellow, began preparing for UPSC examination, and established Akanksha, a non-governmental organisation near his hometown in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.
Meet the brothers who are distributing 500 litres of milk a day to poor kids
While the Centre and state governments are trying their best to supply essentials to the poor, milk, which is the most basic source of nutrition for kids, is being left out.
Realising the importance of supplying milk to the poor during the pandemic, three cousins from Bengaluru - Zeeshan Javid (27), Zufishan Pasha (23), and Shehzar Sheriff (23) started Mission Milk in April. The Bengaluru-based entrepreneurs have organised a team of volunteers and are distributing nearly 500 litres of milk every day in the city.
This 81-year-old man has fed more than 2 million people during the lockdown
The lockdown imposed in view of the coronavirus pandemic has left many lives in disarray and especially hit the migrant labourers hard, who had to walk home on foot with no food or water.
Subsequently, the Indian government and the Supreme Court took cognisance of their plight, and provided them with food, shelter, and even arranged for special ‘Shramik trains’ for them to reach home. During such trying times, many individuals and organisations stepped up to the cause to help these individuals in need. One such person is 81-year-old Baba Karnail Singh Khaira.
Hailing from Karanji in Maharashtra, Khaira Baba has been serving free meals since the last two months at a ramshackle shed on National Highway 7 — the only place that serves meals on a stretch of 450 kilometres.
This app helps people connect with others in their neighbourhood
During the coronavirus lockdown, people were able to tune in to global broadcasts via their smartphones, personal entertainment systems, or even the radio. But hyperlocal communication was almost absent, and the information starvation led to rumours being circulated and myths being perpetuated.
Simply Local is a hyperlocal broadcasting system that was devised to bridge the communication gap between the residents and the civic bodies. The app has been particularly useful in helping locals disseminate information to people around them during the coronavirus lockdown.
Meet the man who quit his job in US to train Maharashtra’s tribal children in sports
Prabhat Sinha, 31, has trained more than 7,000 young boys and girls across rural Maharashtra in various sports through the Mann Deshi Champions programme. The initiative focusses on creating opportunities for young boys and girls to play sports free of cost.
Prabhat quit his job in the US to start the programme after he saw immense potential in rural children. Besides training 7,000 children at the academy, out of whom 50 got a chance to participate at national level competitions, the programme is reaching out to over 60 government schools and four colleges across Satara, Sangli and Solapur districts of Maharashtra to coach students in sports.
Edited by Javed Gaihlot