MY GATED COMMUNITY ABOUNDS IN HELPING HANDS

 “Moved in recently, sir?  I asked the gentleman as he entered the Maple-3 lift going down. “No. Have been here for four years. I am Prabhakar,” he replied.  “Haven’t met you earlier – my bad luck,” I said. “Mine too,” he quipped.

The conversation continued even as we stepped out, and we found ourselves doing a couple of rounds together for the morning walk. And there we were, as though we had known each other for years.

Prabhakar, Maple 3055, is an engineer by qualification and a humanitarian by deed. They belonged to Davanagere, where his father was the Chairman and Managing Director of Davanagere Cotton Mills. They are a rich family - but no less benevolent. They donated half of their assets for the good of society. Consequently, Davanagere, now a Smart City, can boast of housing medical/dental colleges, engineering college, and what have you. To cite just one, the family donated 22 acres of land to open a post-graduate institution six miles away from Davanagare.

My friend Satya Prasad of Oak 2094 (Aruna’s husband, to many) joined us. “Should I have to give a copy of my Aadhaar Card also?” asked Prabhakar on seeing Prasad. I guessed it was continuation of an unfinished earlier conversation. Yes, it was. Prabhakar is one of the regular donors to the orphanage based in the foothills of Tirupati which Prasad has been overseeing. That takes me to Prasad.

Satya Prasad, until recently was a busy senior executive seldom spotted by SFVians; and now seldom missed by any.  He was with the Murugappa group in Chennai. He would leave SFV early mornings of Monday and return on late evenings of Friday. Already on extension a couple of times, he politely declined further extensions - to give something back to the society. He does that eminently, initially as shram daan, and now dhan daan as well.  

There are two Ashrams, run under the auspices of one family – one for women (54 inmates) and the other for men (47) in the age group of 11 to 70 years. About 70% of them are either mentally ill or retarded, and the other 30% orphans. Prasad visits both the Ashrams twice a month to oversee the functions.  Aside this I know of how painstakingly he converted his Pune friend’s near haunted house in Vijaya Bank Layout to a mansion and is now looking for a tenant or a buyer. 

Then we have Uday of Ebony 7062. He too is associated with two institutions. Not far from SFV is an orphanage that a lady runs single-handedly supporting 65 children (1-1/2 to 24 years). The SFV support group provides milk and grocery every month – milk through the milk man since it is daily. The group buys grocery once a month from D-Mart and takes it to the orphanage personally – purely from the point of staying connected. In addition, the support given includes 50% of children’s school fee, periodic collection drive for clothes, shoes, etc.

The other is an old-age home where the abandoned elderly (now 14), who literally lived on the road are given refuge. This is run by two biological sisters. Uday & Co’s help includes supplying grocery and identifying organizations to donate blankets, bed sheets, fridge, household furniture, and medicine, 

 For Uday, charity begins at home. His parents live in their native place Managalore. He drives once a month and stays with them for a week. I am sure, his parents will eagerly look forward to that each time.

For my Samaritans it is One Good Deed a Day. For me it is One Good Story a Day – and this is the one for today.