From quitting banking careers for farming to shattering gender bias, top Social Stories of the week

Educating farmers on the benefits of organic farming, fighting drug abuse, conducting workshops on financial management despite visual impairment, and working against gender violence and bias – this week we saw the efforts of people in empowering the disadvantaged sections of society and creating awareness on various social issues.

Here are the top social stories of the week:

Meet the 2 brothers who gave up their banking careers for organic farming and empowered 9,000 farmers

Satyajit Hange (39) and his brother Ajinkya Hange (36) quit their jobs as bankers to start their own organic farm in 2014 – Two Brothers Organic farm (TBOF). Despite coming from a farming background, the brothers were kept away from farming since their childhood.

The two brothers completed their education from kindergarten to their graduation in Pune, where they also worked for a few years. They then spent time across India’s metro cities for about seven to eight years before they found their calling in farming.

The farm managed by them clocks a yearly turnover of Rs 12 crore. They have also launched several initiatives to create awareness among farmers on the importance of organic farming, and have trained about 9,000 farmers in organic farming practices.

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Meet the 62-year-old organic farmer from Coimbatore who is cultivating crops for birds

After losing their son to drug abuse, this couple from Punjab is fighting against the social evil

Drug abuse has been plaguing the state of Punjab for a long time. According to a survey conducted by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, one out of every three individuals is hooked to drugs in the state. And Manjeet Singh was one of them.

On March 26, 2016, Manjeet lost his life to the deadly narcotics. Following the tragedy, his parents — Mukhtiar Singh and Bhupinder Kaur — have taken up the cause of fighting against drug abuse. The couple, who had offered their son’s shroud to the government demanding action against use of drugs, are now going door to door to spread awareness about the menace.

This visually impaired man has empowered over 4,000 persons with disability through financial literacy workshops

In the first-ever world disability report in 2011, renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking had said, “Disability need not be an obstacle to success.” 

And Rahul Kelapure (38) proved that Hawking was right. Despite being diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, Rahul never gave up on his aspirations. From pursuing a degree in law, giving legal counsel to the Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI), to boosting financial literacy among people with disabilities – he has done it all.  

Besides working full-time as an Assistant Legal Advisor in SEBI, Rahul is pursuing an MBA in Finance and is also preparing for the Company Secretaries course. He is also conducting workshops on money management and financial investments.  

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This startup is helping people with disabilities to live a more independent life with their products

Delhi-based Breakthrough India is shattering gender discrimination through innovative campaigns

Murailapur is a small village located in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district. The young girls of the village wanted to play cricket. However, they had to put up with a lot of gender discrimination, sexist attitude, and societal constraints to play the gentlemen’s game. Finally, the girls overcame it all.  

This was made possible by Delhi-based women’s rights organisation Breakthrough India which is working against gender bias and violence.

Founded by Mallika Dutt in 2000, the NGO uses various mediums like digital media, music, storytelling, theatre, and pop culture to educate citizens, especially women, about their rights and responsibilities. 

Actor Sonu Sood offers help to students who need to travel to attend JEE, NEET exams

Actor Sonu Sood who has assisted hundreds of migrants during the pandemic has now offered support to students planning to appear for the JEE and NEET exams. 

With a view to help students intending to write the exams, Sonu tweeted, “Students appearing for #NEET #JEE 2020 I am standing by you. If you are stuck anywhere, let me know your areas of travel. I will help you reach your examination centres. No one should miss their exam because of resources.”