Motivational Stories from various Sources

[P.J.]

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Indians Who Are Fighting to Give Us Freedom from Hunger -

Indians Who Are Fighting to Give Us Freedom from Hunger -

1. Tara Patkar


In Mahoba, a city in one of the most backward districts in Bundelkhand, UP, volunteers are seen giving home-cooked rotis and vegetables to needy people every day. Roti Bank, the brainchild of Tara Patkar, is managed by a group of 40 young volunteers and 5 elders. They go from door to door and collect rotis, and then feed the hungry in the area. The initiative, which began in April this year, feeds more than 400 people every day. “They (the people who donate rotis) themselves are not too comfortably off, as they are hard hit by constantly rising food prices. Still, they feel morally responsible that no one should go to bed hungry in Mahoba,” Patkar was quoted saying here.

According to him, every household in the area has volunteered to give two rotis every day.

2. M. S. Swaminathan


Source: Flickr

Prof. Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan is known as the ‘Indian Father of the Green Revolution’ for his outstanding contribution to the ‘Green Revolution’ of India. The ‘Green Revolution’ was a period during which agricultural yields in the country increased through the introduction of high-yield crop varieties and application of modern agricultural techniques. He received the First World Food Prize in 1987, and he founded the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) with the proceeds of that award. His Foundation works to apply science and technology to issues related to agriculture, food and nutrition in rural India. He is a member of the board of directors of Fight Hunger Foundation which is dedicated to ending deaths of children due to hunger in India. He was also a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) from 2007-13, and the Chairman of the National Commission on Farmers from 2004-2014.


3. Sindhutai Sapkal


Source: Wikimedia

Also known as the ‘Mother of Orphans,’ Sindhutai Sapkal is a social worker and activist in Pune, renowned for her work with orphans. Lovingly referred to as Mai, Sindhutai faced many hardships in life, including an early marriage to an abusive husband. She had to beg in order to feed her daughter at one point in life. It was then that she noticed a number of abandoned orphans who had even less to eat. She begged harder and tried her best to feed them all like her own child. Today, she has adopted more than 1,400 orphans and received many awards for her work. She uses her award money, and what she earns from giving speeches about her work, to shelter and feed these children. Three hundred children will live in her new Sanmati Bal Niketan, currently under construction in Pune.


4. Sam Pitroda


Source: Flickr

Sam Pitroda, better known for his work in information and communications technology (ICT) as an inventor, entrepreneur and policy maker, also heads the India FoodBanking Network in his lesser known avatar. Established in 2010, the India FoodBanking Network aims to create a network of food banks across the country that collect donated food and have it delivered to the needy. The mission of this network is to eradicate hunger from India by 2020.


5. Gyarsi Bai

In Sunda village of Kishanganj block, Gyarsi Bai Sahariya, a community activist and local NGO worker, got together with other villagers to set up the first grain bank. (Credit: Anumeha Yadav\WFS)

Gyarsi Bai is an activist and community organiser in the Sunda village of Rajasthan. She has done a lot of work towards encouraging education in her community, and is also known for organising community meetings in Sunda that led to the development of India’s first grain bank in the region. She is a Sahariya, a member of a ‘primitive’ tribal group, as categorised by the Government. During the 2001 drought, 47 Sahariyas in the region died due to starvation. Together with her community, she led their fight against starvation in 2012.




http://www.thebetterindia.com/30812...ail&utm_term=0_cd579275a4-15bc728d4c-73747833
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[P.J.]

Rickshaw Puller Hands Over Bag Containing Rs 1.17 Lakh to Cops

Rickshaw Puller Hands Over Bag Containing Rs 1.17 Lakh to Cops

08th August 2015

JAIPUR: In a praiseworthy display of honesty, a rickshaw puller here handed over to police a bag containing more than Rs 1.17 lakh in cash which he had found lying on a road here.


Abid Qureshi, aged 25, found the cash wrapped inside a polythene bag near a government hostel here on Wednesday evening and waited at at the spot till 10 P.M. in the hope that the person who had misplaced the bag would return looking for it.


However, with nobody turning up to claim the bag, Qureshi, who is illiterate, carried it with himself as he headed to his rented room in the walled city area.


Once home, Qureshi narrated the incident to his wife Ameena and together they decided to return the money.


However, they were scared that they might face problems at the police station.
"We were restless the whole night. Next morning, we shared the matter with our neighbours, who asked us to keep the money to change our life.


"But we know that ill-gotten wealth brings problems and we did not think of keeping the money even for a second," the couple told reporters today.


Qureshi and Ameena yesterday approached police commissioner Janga Srinivas Rao and handed over the money.


"We highly appreciate the honesty of this man. Jaipur police will felicitate him soon," Rao told PTI.
Meanwhile, SHO Kotwali police station, Chiranji Lal, said that a man today approached them claiming the money belonged to him.


"The man claimed that his bag containing over Rs 2 lakh went missing near government hostel and we are verifying his claim," said Lal, adding that the cash will be released only by a court.


Please also read from here:

Honesty can be taught over in Schools says Honest Rickshaw Puller

http://www.siasat.com/news/rickshaw...ining-cash-amounting-over-rs-one-lakh-808913/








http://www.newindianexpress.com/nat...17-Lakh-to-Cops/2015/08/08/article2962797.ece

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[P.J.]

Quenching thirst on three wheels

Quenching thirst on three wheels

August 25, 2014


[h=2]Thirty-year-old auto driver provides free drinking water to commuters and pedestrains[/h]

Listening to autorickshaw drivers rant about rising fuel prices and inadequate meter fare is a common occurrence for city commuters.



But here’s a man who is bent on going beyond the challenges of his meagre income, and doing his bit for society. Every day, 30-year-old autorickshaw driver, P. Raghupathi, spends nearly Rs. 200, from his daily earnings of about Rs. 500, to provide drinking water to the public.


For the past two years, he has been helping tired commuters, pedestrians and others quench their thirst via a bubbletop can fixed in his vehicle.


“This is a small service aimed at the old and the physically challenged, especially,” says Mr. Raghupathi.


He has painted the words ‘free drinking water’ on his autorickshaw, in English, Tamil and Hindi.
Many foreigners have stopped his vehicle and asked for water, he says. “I ensure the water can is clean at all times. I also stock disposable cups to ensure hygiene,” he says.


As a child, Mr. Raghupathi says, he wanted to become a doctor and serve people. But poverty prevented him from continuing his education beyond class VII. “My father was a rich farmer. But, all of a sudden, we were plunged into poverty. I tried a different occupation to help my family. Even today, our condition has not improved,” he says.


Then why does he spend so much money on providing water to the public? “It gives me some solace,” he says without a second thought.





http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities...ing-thirst-on-three-wheels/article6347506.ece

 

[P.J.]

22 stranded foreign trekkers rescued by IAF in Leh

22 stranded foreign trekkers rescued by IAF in Leh

August 7, 2015

New Delhi: Coming to the rescue of 22 stranded foreign nationals, the Indian Air Force helicopter unit at Leh, 'Siachen Pioneers' safely evacuated the trapped trekkers from the Markha Valley in Ladakh, amid a hostile weather.

Of the rescued tourists, 21 were British and one French national, the IAF said in a statement today.
"After five days of continuous downpour, all major rivers like Indus, Nubra, Shyok and their tributaries in Ladakh region were flowing beyond their danger mark... On August 6, at 1600 hours, IAF station Leh received a SOS message to rescue a group of British citizens who were stranded in the Markha Valley with some members suffering from asthma. Information on exact location and injuries sustained by the trekkers was ambiguous," the statement said.


Even the coordinates and the place given by civil agency were off the actual one by 50 nautical miles, it said adding the marginal weather and time of the day necessitated a search and rescue to be launched immediately.


"Two aircraft were launched, led by Commanding Officer Wing Commander BS Sehrawat with Flt Lt Cirag as formation leader and Wing Commander KS Negi with Sqn Ldr V Chauhan as his number two. Sortie planning was in progress when the crew realised that available window for successful search and rescue (SAR) was narrowing owing to deteriorating weather and the approaching sunset," the IAF said.


The mission was airborne at 1645 hour and keeping in mind the general knowhow of the Markha valley and previous knowledge of the terrain, the formation reached the probable SAR area and commenced intense search in the narrow valley which by now was under cover of hill shadows.

After 10 minutes of search, the pilots located the trekkers close to Thinlespa village on the bank of the river, it said adding thankfully, the trekkers had made a temporary "SOS" sign near the rivulet, which helped in correctly identifying the location.


"However, the treacherous terrain and vertical slope of made landing of the helicopter near the camp of trekkers impossible. The marginal weather and the approaching sunset added to the difficulty and criticality of the mission... By the time the helicopters completed their task, it was nearing sunset," the statement said.


Then again today, two sets of two Cheetal helicopters each took-off at sunrise and in a matter of a few hours, the balance 11 Britishers were rescued.


"Meanwhile, another request for causality evacuation of one French lady, who was badly injured, was received. Even though she had severe spinal injury and broken ribs, she was evacuated to Leh airfield and promptly moved to the hospital," IAF said.





http://zeenews.india.com/news/jammu...n-trekkers-rescued-by-iaf-in-leh_1643518.html
http://www.indiatimes.com/news/indi...m-jk-after-high-altitude-downpour-243950.html

 

[P.J.]

Stranger Helps

Stranger Helps


On 8th. Aug. 2015 @ 6.30 am a uneducated single mother with her daughter were in Anna University Campus Chennai, looking for direction for Anna Arangam for her daughter counseling in B. Sc. Agriculture @ 8.30 am.

The mother a farmer tending cattle , and girl from a small village near Trichy due to some misguidance did not know that the counseling was in Agriculture University @ Coimbatore. Luck for the girl turned from some early morning walkers who informed her that she was to be in Coimbatore rather than Chennai.


The girl had scored 1017/ 1200 though suffering from illness during the +2 exams, somehow got misguided to attend interview at Chennai.


Thanks to the effort of one of the walkers who informed that he would sponsor to send both of them by flight immediately to Coimbatore. Other walkers pitched in friends/ contacts to inform the Registrar of the case. By 7.50 am it was agreed to look into the case. Meanwhile breakfast was provided to the mother and daughter .


The sponsor of the flight tickets transported them by @ 8.15 am to board the 10.05 am Coimbatore flight. Arrangement were made to pick them at Coimbatore airport @ 11.40 am by car. They reached the University counseling by 12.15 pm


The Registrar had made arrangement to ensure that the candidate got fair counseling. Through the counseling the candidate has been offered B.Sc. – bio technology in TNAU – Cbe. @ 2.00 pm the same.


Lets all believe that miracles do happen in our lives. – God Bless

The candidate this morning in Anna university.


சென்னை : சென்னையில், ஏழை மாணவிக்கு உதவி செய்த அடையாளம் தெரியாத நபர். கோவையில் அண்ணா அரங்கில் நடைபெற்ற கவுன்சிலிங்கில் கலந்துகொள்ள வேண்டிய மாணவி ஒருவர் தவறுதலாக சென்னை அண்ணா பல்கலை கழகத்திற்கு வந்தார். சாலையில் நடைப்பயிற்சி மேற்கொண்ட ஒருவர் கோவை செல்ல உதவிய அனைவரையும் அதிசயத்தில் ஆழ்த்தியது. திருச்சி மாவட்டத்தைச் சேர்ந்த ஒரு மாணவி தன் தாயுடன் சென்னையில் உள்ள அண்ணா பல்கலைக் கழகத்தின் வளாகத்தில் நின்று கொண்டு அண்ணா அரங்கம் எங்கு உள்ளது என தேடிக் கொண்டிருந்தனர். அப்போது அந்த வழியாக நடைப்பயிற்சி மேற்கொண்ட ஒருவர் விசாரித்த போது, கோவையில் உள்ள அண்ணா அரங்கத்திற்கு செல்வதற்கு பதிலாக சென்னைக்கு வந்தது தெரியவந்தது.

இதனைக் கேட்டறிந்த மாணவியும் அவரின் தாயும் என்ன செய்வது தெரியாமல் அதிர்ச்சியடைந்தனர். பின்னர் தனது மகள் பன்னிரெண்டாம் வகுப்பில் 1,017 மதிப்பெண்கள் பெற்றுள்ளதாகவும், இளங்கலை வேளாண்மை பிரிவிற்கு கலந்தாய்வுக்கு வந்துள்ளதாக அவரிடம் தெரிவித்தனர். பின்னர் நடைபயிற்சி மேற்கொண்ட நபர் தாய் மற்றும் மகளை விமான நிலையத்திற்கு அழைத்துச் சென்று தனது சொந்த செலவில் விமான பயணச்சீட்டு எடுத்து இருவரையும் கோவைக்கு அனுப்பி வைத்தார். பின்னர் கோவை சென்றவர்கள் மதியம் 12 மணிக்கு கலந்தாய்வில் கலந்து கொண்டு இளங்கலை பயோ டெக்னாலஜி பிரிவை தேர்வு செய்தனர். மாணவி, மற்றும் அவரின் தாயார், தனக்கு உதவிசெய்த நபர் யார் என்று தெரியாமல் அவருக்கு மனமார்ந்த நன்றியை தெரிவித்துக் கொண்டுள்ளார்.


http://www.dinakaran.com/News_Detail.asp?Nid=160578

 

[P.J.]

The Turkish couple who spent their wedding day feeding 4,000 Syrian refugees

The Turkish couple who spent their wedding day feeding 4,000 Syrian refugees

Sunday 09 August 2015





The couple who tied the knot in the Turkish province of Kilis in the Syrian border and invited 4,000 Syrian refugees to celebrate with them


A Turkish bride and groom decided to share their joy on their wedding day by inviting 4,000 Syrian refugees to eat with them and celebrate in the southern Turkish city of Kilis.

Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra Polat, who got married in the province which is near the Syrian border last week, invited some of those refugees who have fled the country since the civil war which began four years ago.



Turkey has welcomed nearly two million Syrian refugees and in Kilis, there are 4,000 refugees that Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There?), a Turkish charity which provides help to millions across the world, is responsible for providing food to.



In total, there are four million Syrian refugees who had fled the country in what the UN described as the worst crisis of its kind in a generation. Almost eight million people are displaced within the country, the UN said last month.



The idea for sharing their special day with those less fortunate was that of the groom's father, Ali Üzümcüoğlu. He told Serhat Kilis newspaper that he hoped others would do the same and share their wedding celebrations with their Syrian brothers and sisters.



[SUP]

Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra Polat feeding Syrian refugees (@kimseyokmu)[/SUP]


"We thought that on such a happy day, we would share the wedding party with our Syrian brothers and sisters. We thought this was best done with Kimse Yok Mu who could provide a truck. God willing, this will lead to others doing the same and giving food to our Syrian brothers and sisters. For us, it was an interesting wedding dinner."


The father also said he was glad that the couple began a new life "with such a selfless action". Wedding guests shared food using trucks and those providing meals included the bride and groom themselves.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...wedding-day-feeding-4000-Syrian-refugees.html

 

[P.J.]

God has always been planning things for me

God has always been planning things for me

July 28, 2008

Naga Naresh Karuturi has just passed out of IIT Madras in Computer Science and has joined Google in Bangalore.

You may ask, what's so special about this 21-year-old when there are hundreds of students passing out from various IITs and joining big companies like Google?



Naresh is special. His parents are illiterate. He has no legs and moves around in his powered wheel chair. (In fact, when I could not locate his lab, he told me over the mobile phone, 'I will come and pick you up'. And in no time, he was there to guide me)



Ever smiling, optimistic and full of spirit; that is Naresh. He says, "God has always been planning things for me. That is why I feel I am lucky."



Read why Naresh feels he is lucky.



Childhood in a village

I spent the first seven years of my life in Teeparru, a small village in Andhra Pradesh, on the banks of the river Godavari. My father Prasad was a lorry driver and my mother Kumari, a house wife. Though they were illiterate, my parents instilled in me and my elder sister (Sirisha) the importance of studying.



Looking back, one thing that surprises me now is the way my father taught me when I was in the 1st and 2nd standards. My father would ask me questions from the text book, and I would answer them. At that time, I didn't know he could not read or write but to make me happy, he helped me in my studies!



Another memory that doesn't go away is the floods in the village and how I was carried on top of a buffalo by my uncle. I also remember plucking fruits from a tree that was full of thorns.



I used to be very naughty, running around and playing all the time with my friends. I used to get a lot of scolding for disturbing the elders who slept in the afternoon. The moment they started scolding, I would run away to the fields!



I also remember finishing my school work fast in class and sleeping on the teacher's lap!



January 11, 1993, the fateful day

On the January 11, 1993 when we had the Sankranti holidays, my mother took my sister and me to a nearby village for a family function. From there we were to go with our grandmother to our native place. But my grandmother did not come there. As there were no buses that day, my mother took a lift in my father's friend's lorry. As there were many people in the lorry, he made me sit next to him, close to the door.



It was my fault; I fiddled with the door latch and it opened wide throwing me out. As I fell, my legs got cut by the iron rods protruding from the lorry. Nothing happened to me except scratches on my legs.



The accident had happened just in front of a big private hospital but they refused to treat me saying it was an accident case. Then a police constable who was passing by took us to a government hospital.

First I underwent an operation as my small intestine got twisted. The doctors also bandaged my legs. I was there for a week. When the doctors found that gangrene had developed and it had reached up to my knees, they asked my father to take me to a district hospital. There, the doctors scolded my parents a lot for neglecting the wounds and allowing the gangrene to develop. But what could my ignorant parents do?


In no time, both my legs were amputated up to the hips.



I remember waking up and asking my mother, where are my legs? I also remember that my mother cried when I asked the question. I was in the hospital for three months.

Life without legs

I don't think my life changed dramatically after I lost both my legs. Because all at home were doting on me, I was enjoying all the attention rather than pitying myself. I was happy that I got a lot of fruits and biscuits.


http://specials.rediff.com/news/2008/jul/28sl1.htm


Reportage: Shobha Warrier | Photographs: Sreeram Selvaraj

 

[P.J.]

BSF plants four lakh saplings along border

BSF plants four lakh saplings along border[FONT=arial !important]


[/FONT]August 12, 201[FONT=arial !important]

Agartala: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday planted around four lakh saplingsalong the border to mark Independence Day.[/FONT]


[FONT=arial !important]"Around 400,000 saplings were planted both in India's eastern and northern frontiers along Bangladesh and Pakistan, all its units and sector headquarters within just 30 minutes from 10 a.m. on Wednesday," Border Security Force (BSF) spokesman D.S. Bhati told IANS.

[/FONT]
[FONT=arial !important]

"This plantation programme would also mark India's Independence Day," he added.

[/FONT]
[FONT=arial !important]The saplings were planted as a part of BSF's year-long golden jubilee celebrations, that would end on December 1, 2015.
[/FONT]
[FONT=arial !important]The BSF is already in the Limca Book of Record by planting over 309,000 saplings in 30 minutes last year and bettered its own record this year.
[/FONT]
[FONT=arial !important]Concerned with global warming and climate change, the BSF launched the plantation programme on August 15, 2013 under the banner "My Earth, My Duty".[/FONT]
[FONT=arial !important]"Since 2013, more than one and a half crore trees have been planted in the area of BSF's command and also along India's border with Bangladesh and Pakistan," another BSF official said.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial !important]"The plantation programme brought together border guards and people of different religions and customs living along the borders," he said


http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/bsf-plants-four-lakh-saplings-along-border_1645889.html

http://tamil.thehindu.com/india/எல்...ரர்கள்-சாதனை/article7530274.ece?homepage=true[/FONT]

 

[P.J.]

Daughter of a House Help Donated Her Mother’s Organs Without a Second Thought -

Daughter of a House Help Donated Her Mother’s Organs Without a Second Thought

August 14, 2015


Savita, a 50-year-old house help was declared brain dead after an accident. At that emotionally devastating moment for the family, her 20-year-old daughter took the brave step of donating her mother’s kidneys.
It is a difficult time for the family when someone close dies. And it takes courage, at that moment, to make a big decision like organ donation. Even the rich and powerful hesitate to take such a bold step.
But one young girl, barely out of her teens and working as a household help, proved that one does not need money or power to help others. All one needs is a big heart!

Meet 20-year-old Neelam from Ahmedabad, who was devastated when her mother Savita met with an accident and was declared brain dead after spending a few days in the hospital. Savita, who had worked as a domestic help in five households to earn her daily bread and butter for the family, had only managed to educate her daughter till 9th grade. After that, Neelam too had followed in her mother’s steps and became a house maid.

In a moment when even the strongest feel weak and uncertain, Neelam showed immense presence of mind and decided to donate the organs of her mother.

She says she thought of doing so because some time ago the organs of one of her friends who died in an accident had been donated as well.

Savita’s kidneys have been donated to two patients who have been waiting for transplants for over two years now.

Neelam believes her mother, who was a very kind person, would have happily agreed to her organs being used to give new life to two people.

This family, from a humble background, has been selfless in donating Savita’s organs and has not even enquired about the recipients.

If more people are as proactive as Neelam, several thousand lives can be saved on a daily basis in India. Neelam has shown that doing a good deed just requires good intentions and not a wealthy background.


http://www.thebetterindia.com/31501...ail&utm_term=0_cd579275a4-95dd891073-73747833

 

[P.J.]

Delhi's 'Medicine Baba' gets drugs from rich, gives to poor

Delhi's 'Medicine Baba' gets drugs from rich, gives to poor

• : Jul 25, 2015

Omkarnath, who goes by the name 'Medicine Baba', calls out to people to donate unused medicines at a government colony in New Delhi. (AP Photo)


Omkarnath spends his days searching New Delhi for drugs. A call to the phone number printed boldly on his saffron-colored tunic reveals his alternate identity: "Hello, I am Medicine Baba."

The chatty, 79-year-old retired blood-bank technician has been collecting unused prescription drugs from the affluent for the past eight years, and distributing whatever hasn't expired to patients who need medicines they cannot afford.

Omkarnath, who like many Indians uses only one name, is not a trained pharmacist, and must see a doctor's prescription before he'll help supply any drug. He doesn't charge, though he says the value of what he gives away each month is more than Rs 5 lakhs.

"Every bungalow in Delhi has extra medicines, but they are throwing them in their dustbins," says Omkarnath, who walks with a limp after an accident that left him with dislocated bones in both legs.

"Medicine Baba" walks more than 7 km, stopping door-to-door to ask for unused medicines. On one such trip on Sunday, he had collected a huge bagful of donated prescriptions in just an hour and a half.

Some 40% of India's 1.2 billion people have no access to modern medicines because they are too expensive or simply unavailable in government hospitals where supplies are often scarce.

Meanwhile, India is exporting 45% of the Rs 1.6 lakh crores in pharmaceuticals it produces each year.

Omkarnath began his mission after seeing some construction workers get badly injured in New Delhi. He says he followed the men to government hospitals where they were not given treatment and told to find the drugs they needed elsewhere.

He says he has built up a stock of drugs and medical equipment worth tens of thousands of dollars from weekend trips to wealthy neighborhoods and more than a dozen collection boxes set up in private clinics around the city.

He stores his cache in a small rented room next to his home in the fetid slums of Manglapuri in southwest New Delhi.

Medicines collected from people around Delhi, are arranged on shelves at a rented store room by Omkarnath. (AP Photo)

The room is filled with boxes of common flu tablets, insulin injections and cancer medications. Omkarnath also arranges donations of equipment including hospital beds, oxygen cylinders, nebulizers, wheelchairs, walkers and oxygen machines.

Many nongovernmental organizations work to give medical care to India's needy, and Omkarnath works with some of them to deliver medicines. But Omkarnath's one-man recycling effort is rare if not unique. There are medicine recycling efforts elsewhere, including the United States, but drugs in those cases are generally donated by medical institutions rather than individuals.

Dr Lalima Rangwani distributes medicine Omkarnarth collects. She said at first she wasn't sure she could trust the drugs he collected.

"But when he brought the medicines, I checked it out, the batch number, all he has written on the list. So only then I got convinced that these are genuine medicines," she said.
India spends just over 1% of its gross domestic product on health care -- one of the lowest rates in the world.

"Most states in India don't spend adequately on public health. It is not a priority," leading to drug shortages, says health economist Sakthivel Selvaraj from the Public Health Foundation of India. Private hospitals generally have better supplies, but they charge far more than what hundreds of millions of impoverished Indians can afford.

Omkarnath (center) gives medicine to the relative of a severely ill patient at his rented medicine store room in New Delhi. (AP Photo)

One of Omkarnath's regular recipients is 52-year-old Dhulichand, who has been suffering from emphysema for several years. The former shoemaker cannot afford the Rs 6,300 it costs for 20 oxygen cylinders he needs to breathe each month.

"I can't move around or even shower without these cylinders," a bedridden Dhulichand says, as a clear tube delivers a steady flow of oxygen to his nostrils from a cylinder against the wall in his tiny concrete room.

"Government hospitals don't take me" because he needs too much care, he says. "They tell me to go back home."

Omkarnath depends on cash donations to cover his costs and modest living expenses, which come to about Rs 32,000 a month.
Eventually, he hopes to build a nationwide network of medicine banks.

"My efforts make up merely a drop worth of solution to a huge ocean of problems," Omkarnath says through the last few teeth left in his mouth. "I hope before I die this becomes a bigger movement and I contribute at least a glassful."


http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...from-rich-gives-to-poor/article1-1372611.aspx

 

[P.J.]

At 16 years old, Babar Ali must be the youngest headmaster in the world.

At 16 years old, Babar Ali must be the youngest headmaster in the world.


12 October 2009

Tour of the school set up by 16-year-old Babar Ali

Around the world millions of children are not getting a proper education because their families are too poor to afford to send them to school. In India, one schoolboy is trying to change that. In the first report in the BBC's Hunger to Learn series, Damian Grammaticas meets Babar Ali, whose remarkable education project is transforming the lives of hundreds of poor children.

At 16 years old, Babar Ali must be the youngest headmaster in the world. He's a teenager who is in charge of teaching hundreds of students in his family's backyard, where he runs classes for poor children from his village.

The story of this young man from Murshidabad in West Bengal is a remarkable tale of the desire to learn amid the direst poverty.


Babar Ali's day starts early. He wakes, pitches in with the household chores, then jumps on an auto-rickshaw which takes him part of the 10km (six mile) ride to the Raj Govinda school. The last couple of kilometres he has to walk.

The school is the best in this part of West Bengal. There are hundreds of students, boys and girls. The classrooms are neat, if bare. But there are desks, chairs, a blackboard, and the teachers are all dedicated and well-qualified.

As the class 12 roll-call is taken, Babar Ali is seated in the middle in the front row. He's a tall, slim, gangly teenager, studious and smart in his blue and white uniform. He takes his notes carefully. He is the model student.

Babar Ali is the first member of his family ever to get a proper education.


"It's not easy for me to come to school because I live so far away," he says, "but the teachers are good and I love learning. And my parents believe I must get the best education possible that's why I am here."

Raj Govinda school is government-run so it is free, all Babar Ali has to pay for is his uniform, his books and the rickshaw ride to get there. But still that means his family has to find around 1,800 rupees a year ($40, £25) to send him to school. In this part of West Bengal that is a lot of money. Many poor families simply can't afford to send their children to school, even when it is free.

Chumki Hajra is one who has never been to school. She is 14 years old and lives in a tiny shack with her grandmother. Their home is simple A-frame supporting a thatched roof next to the rice paddies and coconut palms at the edge of the village. Inside the hut there is just room for a bed and a few possessions.


Every morning, instead of going to school, she scrubs the dishes and cleans the homes of her neighbours. She's done this ever since she was five. For her work she earns just 200 rupees a month ($5, £3). It's not much, but it's money her family desperately needs. And it means that she has to work as a servant everyday in the village.

"My father is handicapped and can't work," Chumki tells me as she scrubs a pot. "We need the money. If I don't work, we can't survive as a family. So I have no choice but to do this job."
But Chumki is now getting an education, thanks to Babar Ali. The 16-year-old has made it his mission to help Chumki and hundreds of other poor children in his village. The minute his lessons are over at Raj Govinda school, Babar Ali doesn't stop to play, he heads off to share what he's learnt with other children from his village.

At four o'clock every afternoon after Babar Ali gets back to his family home a bell summons children to his house. They flood through the gate into the yard behind his house, where Babar Ali now acts as headmaster of his own, unofficial school.

Lined up in his back yard the children sing the national anthem. Standing on a podium, Babar Ali lectures them about discipline, then study begins.

Babar Ali gives lessons just the way he has heard them from his teachers. Some children are seated in the mud, others on rickety benches under a rough, homemade shelter. The family chickens scratch around nearby. In every corner of the yard are groups of children studying hard.

Babar Ali was just nine when he began teaching a few friends as a game. They were all eager to know what he learnt in school every morning and he liked playing at being their teacher.



Now his afternoon school has 800 students, all from poor families, all taught for free. Most of the girls come here after working, like Chumki, as domestic helps in the village, and the boys after they have finished their day's work labouring in the fields.

"In the beginning I was just play-acting, teaching my friends," Babar Ali says, "but then I realised these children will never learn to read and write if they don't have proper lessons. It's my duty to educate them, to help our country build a better future."

Including Babar Ali there are now 10 teachers at the school, all, like him are students at school or college, who give their time voluntarily. Babar Ali doesn't charge for anything, even books and food are given free, funded by donations. It means even the poorest can come here.

"Our area is economically deprived," he says. "Without this school many kids wouldn't get an education, they'd never even be literate."
Seated on a rough bench squeezed in with about a dozen other girls, Chumki Hajra is busy scribbling notes.

Her dedication to learning is incredible to see. Every day she works in homes in the village from six in the morning until half past two in the afternoon, then she heads to Babar Ali's school. At seven every evening she heads back to do more cleaning work.

Chumki's dream is to one day become a nurse, and Babar Ali's classes might just make it possible.

The school has been recognised by the local authorities, it has helped increase literacy rates in the area, and Babar Ali has won awards for his work.

The youngest children are just four or five, and they are all squeezed in to a tiny veranda. There are just a couple of bare electric bulbs to give light as lessons stretch into the evening, and only if there is electricity.

And then the monsoon rain begins. Huge drops fall as the children scurry for cover, slipping in the mud. They crowd under a piece of plastic sheeting. Babar Ali shouts an order.

Lessons are cancelled for the afternoon otherwise everyone will be soaked. Having no classrooms means lessons are at the mercy of the elements.

The children climb onto the porch of a nearby shop as the rain pours down. Then they hurry home through the downpour. Tomorrow they'll be back though. Eight hundred poor children, unable to afford an education, but hungry for anything they can learn at Babar Ali's school.





http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8299780.stm

 

[P.J.]

When a Muslim Man Took Care of Both Shiva Temple and Masjid

When a Muslim Man Took Care of Both Shiva Temple and Masjid

13th August 2015

As a classic example of propagating communal harmony, Mohammed Zahir works as a caretaker of Lord Shiva temple in Khandwa, Indore. August, being an holy month of Srawan for Hindus where they worship Lord Shiva in different traditions across the country. Zahir still shows equal enthusiasm serving for the temple as he would do for a Dargah.

According to Dainik Bhaskar, he sweeps, decorates the Shiva Linga and sticks around from dawn to dusk in the temple premises for the past six years. The temple comes under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and they employed him as the caretaker. The 40-year-old man finds the job as a privilege and has been happy to serve the temple.

The temple does not have a ‘pundit’ to conduct prayers or do rituals and he sometimes commits to help tourists by offering their prayers and performs ‘archana’ to the Shiva Linga. Interestingly, he also serves a Dargah which is just a stone’s throw away from the temple which also comes under ASI.

Zahir believes that his services to both the temple and Dargah will teach equality and harmony to his five children.


http://www.newindianexpress.com/nat...mple-and-Masjid/2015/08/13/article2972747.ece

 

[P.J.]

Humanity before self, says braveheart tailor who fought sword wielding criminal

Humanity before self, says braveheart tailor who fought sword wielding criminal


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM0dsL-R24s


Published on Aug 13, 2015
It all happened in a matter of seconds. A 50 year old tailor taking on a bloodthirsty, sword-wielding criminal with murder written all over his face. No wonder, Nasruddin Khudabaksh Mansuri is being hailed as a hero. "There was no time to think or fear. I knew I had to stop him. Humanity comes before personal safety," Mansuri told NDTV.

 

[P.J.]

தமிழக அரசின் கல்பனா சாவ்லா விருது ஈரோடு &#2972

தமிழக அரசின் கல்பனா சாவ்லா விருது ஈரோடு ஜோதி மணிக்கு
August 15, 2015

சென்னை: தமிழக அரசின் கல்பனா சாவ்லா விருதை ஈரோடு கள்ளிப்பட்டி ஜோதிமணிக்கு முதலமைச்சர் ஜெயலலிதா இன்று வழங்கினார். கனரக லாரிகளை தன்னந்தனியா பிற மாநிலங்களுக்கும் ஓட்டிச் செல்லும் துணிச்சல் பெண்மணியாக திகழ்கிறார் ஈரோடு ஜோதிமணி. சென்னையில் இன்று நடைபெற்ற 69வது சுதந்திர தின விழாவில் தமிழக அரசின் கல்பனா சாவ்லா விருது ஈரோடு ஜோதி மணிக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டது. ஈரோடு மாவட்டம் கள்ளிப்பட்டியை சேர்ந்த ஜோதிமணியின் சாதனை மற்றும் துணிவை பாராட்டி இந்த விருது வழங்கப்பட்டது.

http://tamil.oneindia.com/news/tamilnadu/jayalalithaa-awards-cargo-woman-truck-driver-233428.html

 

[P.J.]

Army Jawan Lynched to Death For Rescuing Teen From Eve Teasers


Army Jawan Lynched to Death For Rescuing Teen From Eve Teasers

15th August 2015

MEERUT: A 35-year-old army jawan, who tried to rescue a girl from eve teasers, was beaten to death by aides of one of them.

On Thursday, Vedmitra Chaudhury, a Lance Naik in 416 Engineering Brigade, had gone to get milk from a booth on Rohta Road in Hardevnagar where he saw some youths teasing the daughter of the booth owner.

The jawan came to the girl's rescue and even beat up one of the eve-teasers -Akash Saini, police said.

Enraged, Akash called his friends, who arrived at the spot armed with sticks. They then assaulted Chaudhury, leaving him seriously injured.

The jawan, who was staying at Gopal Vihar with his wife and children, was admitted to Army Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries last night, police said.

SSP Dinesh Chandra Dubey said, besides Akash, two others, Sanju and Ritesh, have been arrested and the search was on to nab other accused.

Talking about the incident, Sub-Area Colonel Rajiv Kumar said, Chaudhury fulfilled the duty of an Indian citizen and protected a girl's honour. He will be remembered as martyr


http://www.newindianexpress.com/nat...rom-Eve-Teasers/2015/08/15/article2976184.ece

 

[P.J.]

2 Indian Children Reach Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal

2 Indian Children Reach Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal


August 12, 2015

KATHMANDU: A five-year-old Indian boy and his eight-year-old sister might have set a new record by becoming the youngest climbers to reach the base camp of the world's highest peak, the Mount Everest.

Gwalior-based Kandarp Sharma and Ritvika successfully reached the base camp situated at an altitude of 5,380 metre in northeast Nepal yesterday, according to Thupden Sherpa, general manager of Arun Treks and Expedition, that organised the expedition.

The siblings were accompanied by their parents to the base camp, according to Sherpa.


Apart from their individual records of being the youngest boy and girl to trek to the base camp, they have also become the youngest brother and sister to reach the height, their father Bhupendra Shara said.

The family might also have become the first to reach the base camp on the 8,848 metre tall Everest.

First-grader Kandarp and fourth grader Ritvika are students of Little Angels High School in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

Kandarp is 5 years and 10 months old while her sister Ritvika is 8 years and 11 months old.

Last year too, Harshit, another climber from India, had reached the base camp at the age of 5 years and 11 months, setting a record.

Bhupendra's wife Mamta and the two children also reached Kalapathar peak situated near the base camp with an altitude of 5,555 metre. All the four reached the Everest base camp and three of them reached Kalapathar, Sherpa told PTI.

Kalapathar is higher than the highest peaks of three continents - Mont Blanc (4,810 m) in Europe, Vinson Massif (4,810 m) in Antarctica, and Puncak Jaya (4,884 m) in Australasia.

The children flew to Lukla on August 2 to embark on the trek.

They have started descending from the base camp and are now heading towards Kathmandu, where they are expected to organise a press meet.

The expedition was undertaken to send a message to the world climbers that Everest trekking route was not damaged by the earthquakes that devastated other parts of the country, said Thupden Sherpa.

Sherpa said they would try to get the children's names in the Guinness Book of World Records and India's Limca Book of Records for becoming the youngest climbers to reach the base camp.


http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/2-indian-children-reach-mount-everest-base-camp-in-nepal-1206345

http://www.maalaimalar.com/2015/08/16012106/2-Indian-Children-Reach-Mt-Ev.html

 

[P.J.]

Lifeguard saves a little girl.

Lifeguard saves a little girl.

It was a fateful day on Bondi Beach in Australia when Terry saved this little girls life. Watch her story below!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCzvFcjXe_g

Published on Mar 13, 2013

 

[P.J.]

கலாம் பெயரில் விருது-


கலாம் பெயரில் விருது-

முதல்வர் ஜெயலலிதாவிடமிருந்து அப்துல்கலாம் விருதினை பெற்றுக் கொள்ளும் இஸ்ரோ திட்ட இயக்குநர் என்.வளர்மதி



அப்துல் கலாம் பெயரிலான விருது, இளைஞர்களை ஊக்குவிக்கும் என்று அந்த விருதை முதன்முதலாக பெற்றுள்ள ‘இஸ்ரோ’ விஞ்ஞானி என்.வளர்மதி தெரிவித்தார்.


மறைந்த முன்னாள் குடியரசுத் தலைவர் ஏ.பி.ஜெ.அப்துல் கலாம் நினைவாக அவரது பெயரில் விருது வழங்கப்படும் என முதல்வர் ஜெயலலிதா அறிவித்திருந்தார். அதன்படி, இந்த ஆண்டுக்கான அப்துல் கலாம் விருதை இஸ்ரோ திட்ட இயக்குநரான என்.வளர்மதிக்கு முதல்வர் ஜெயலலிதா இன்று வழங்கினார்.


விருதுபெற்ற பிறகு என்.வளர்மதி பேசுகையில் ''எனது சொந்த ஊர் அரியலூர். அங்குள்ள நிர்மலா மேல்நிலைப் பள்ளியில் படித்தேன். அண்ணா பல்கலையில் எம்.இ., முடித்தேன். இஸ்ரோவில், 2012-ம் ஆண்டு தயாரிக்கப்பட்ட ‘ரேடார் இமேஜ் சாட்டிலைட்’ திட்ட இயக்குநராக பணியாற்றினேன். இது 24 மணி நேரமும் படம் எடுத்து அனுப்பக் கூடியது. இதனால் பலரும் பயன் பெற்றுள்ளனர்.


அப்துல் கலாம் பெயரில் விருது வழங்குவதன் மூலம் தமிழக அரசு இஸ்ரோவை பெருமைப்படுத்தியுள்ளது. இந்த விருது, இளைஞர்களை உற்சாகப்படுத்தும். பொதுச் சேவைக்காக இந்த விருது வழங்கப்படுவது பெருமை தரக்கூடியது. இந்த விருதை இஸ்ரோவுக்கு சமர்ப்பிக்கிறேன். விருதை வழங்கிய முதல்வருக்கும் தமிழக அரசுக்கும் மக்களுக்கும் நன்றி'' என்று வளர்மதி பேசினார்.


http://tamil.thehindu.com/tamilnadu...்மதி-கருத்து/article7544392.ece?homepage=true

 

[P.J.]

Saina Nehwal becomes first player from India to win silver at World Badminton Champio

Saina Nehwal becomes first player from India to win silver at World Badminton Championship -

http://indianexpress.com/photos/spo...aim-silver-at-world-badminton-championship/5/

 

[P.J.]

போலீஸ் அதிகாரி தவற விட்ட ரூ.50 ஆயிரம் ஐபேடை &#

போலீஸ் அதிகாரி தவற விட்ட ரூ.50 ஆயிரம் ஐபேடை ஒப்படைத்த ஆட்டோ டிரைவரின் நேர்மை

மும்பை

ஆகஸ்ட் 16, 2015​

உத்தரபிரதேச மாநிலம் லக்னோவில் துணை போலீஸ் ஐ.ஜி.யாக இருப்பவர் நவநீத் சிகேரா. இவர் கடந்த வாரம் மும்பை வந்தார். நேற்று முன்தினம் சி.எஸ்.டி.யில் நடந்த நிகழ்ச்சியில் கலந்து கொண்டு விட்டு பாண்டுப்பில் உள்ள தனது உறவினர் வீட்டுக்கு ஆட்டோவில் சென்றார். அந்த ஆட்டோவை தினேஷ் கேஷ்வாணி என்பவர் ஓட்டி சென்றார். பாண்டுப்பில் உறவினர் வீட்டிற்கு சென்றதும் நவநீத் சிகேரா தான் கொண்டு வந்த ரூ.50 ஆயிரம் மதிப்புள்ள ஐபேடை மறதியாக ஆட்டோவிலேயே தவற விட்டு விட்டு இறங்கி சென்று விட்டார். நவநீத் சிகேராவை இறக்கி விட்டு விட்டு காட்கோபர் வந்த பின்னர் இருக்கையில் ஐபேடு இருப்பதை ஆட்டோ டிரைவர் கவனித்தார். உடனே அவர் பாண்டுப்பில் நவநீத் சிகேராவை இறங்கிய வீட்டிற்கு சென்று ஐபேடை திருப்பி அவரிடம் ஒப்படைத்தார். அப்போது தான் நவநீத் சிகேராவிற்கு, தான் தனது ஐபேடை மறதியாக ஆட்டோவிலேயே விட்டு விட்டு வந்தது தெரியவந்தது.

அந்த ஐபேடை ஆட்டோ டிரைவர் நேர்மையாக திருப்பி ஒப்படைத்ததை நினைத்து அவர் மகிழ்ச்சி அடைந்தார். அவரது நேர்மையை பாராட்டி விருந்து கொடுத்ததுடன் பரிசும் வழங்கினார். அவருடன் புகைப்படமும் எடுத்து கொண்டார். போலீஸ் அதிகாரி உபசரிப்பில் ஆட்டோ டிரைவர் தினேஷ் கேஷ்வாணி நெகிழ்ந்து போனார்.


http://www.dailythanthi.com/News/Ma...ice-officer-missedAuto-driver-handed-IPAD.vpf

 

[P.J.]

கூலித் தொழிலாளிக்கு உதவிய ‘வாட்ஸ் அப்’ நண&#302

கூலித் தொழிலாளிக்கு உதவிய ‘வாட்ஸ் அப்’ நண்பர்கள்




தஞ்சாவூர் மாவட்டத்தைச் சேர்ந்த கூலித் தொழிலாளி ஒருவரின் தாயார் மாலத்தீவில் உடல் நலக் குறைவால் இறந்தார். அவரது உடலை சொந்த ஊருக்குக் கொண்டு வர, ரூ.2.25 லட்சத்தை ‘வாட்ஸ் அப்’ மூலம் திரட்டி அளித் துள்ளது தமிழ்நாடு சமூக சேவை கழகம் என்ற ‘வாட்ஸ் அப்’ குழு.


தஞ்சாவூர் மாவட்டம், கும்பகோணத்தை அடுத்துள்ள நாச்சியார்கோவில் மாதா கோயில் தெருவைச் சேர்ந்தவர் தவமணி என்கிற ஆனந்தபுஷ்பம் (55). இவரது கணவர் செல்வராஜ் 10 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்னர் இறந்துவிட்டார். குடும்ப வறுமை யால் வீட்டு வேலை செய்வதற்காக 2 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்னர் ஆனந்த புஷ்பம் மாலத்தீவு சென்றுள்ளார்.


இவரைத் தொடர்ந்து கடந்த சில மாதங்களுக்கு முன்னர் இவரது மகன் மோகன்தாஸ் கட்டுமான வேலைக்காக மாலத்தீவுக்குச் சென்று அங்கே தாயுடன் தங்கி வேலை பார்த்து வந்தார்.
இந்நிலையில், உடல்நலக் குறைவால் ஆனந்தபுஷ்பம், ஆகஸ்ட் 12-ம் தேதி இறந்தார். தாயாரின் உடலை சொந்த ஊரில் அடக்க செய்ய வேண்டும் என விரும்பினார் மோகன்தாஸ். ஆனால், தாயின் சடலத்தை கும்ப கோணம் கொண்டு வருவதற்கு போதிய பணம் இல்லாததால் தவித்தார். இதனை அறிந்த வினோத் தேவராஜ் என்ற நண்பர், தான் உறுப்பினராக உள்ள ‘வாட்ஸ் அப்’ நண்பர்கள் குழுவான தமிழ் நாடு சமூக சேவை கழக நிர்வாகி களுக்கு தகவல் தெரிவித்தார்.

இதைத் தொடர்ந்து சேவை கழகத் தலைவரான திருநெல்வேலி மாவட்டம் கடையநல்லூரைச் சேர்ந்த முகமது ஷரீப், மாநிலச் செயலாளரான பட்டுக்கோட்டை பிரபாகரன், பொருளாளர் சையது யூசூப் மற்றும் சக ‘வாட்ஸ் அப்’ குழு உறுப்பினர்கள் ரூ.2.25 லட்சத்தை வழங்கி, மாலத்தீவிலிருந்து ஆனந்தபுஷ்பத்தின் சடலத்துடன் மோகன்தாஸ் சொந்த ஊருக்கு வருவதற்கு உதவினர்.

இதையடுத்து விமானம் மூலம் திருவனந்தபுரம் வந்து, அங்கி ருந்து சொந்த ஊருக்கு தாயின் சடலத்துடன் மோகன்தாஸ் வந்து சேர்ந்தார். திருவனந்தபுரத்தி லிருந்து ஆம்புலன்ஸ் வாகனம் மூலம் சமூக சேவை கழக உறுப்பினர்களின் உதவியோடு நாச்சியார்கோவிலுக்கு நேற்று உடல் கொண்டு வரப்பட்டு, இறுதிச் சடங்குகள் நடத்தப்பட்டன.
இதுகுறித்து ‘வாட்ஸ் அப்’ கழகத்தின் செயலாளரான பட்டுக் கோட்டையைச் சேர்ந்த பிரபாகரன் ‘தி இந்து’விடம் கூறியது:


இந்த அமைப்பு 2007-ம் ஆண்டில் 4 பேருடன் தொடங் கப்பட்டது. தற்போது ‘வாட்ஸ் அப்’ மூலம் தமிழகம், இந்தியா மட்டுமன்றி வெளிநாடுகளிலும் சுமார் 1,400 பேரை உறுப்பினர் களாகக் கொண்டு செயல்படுகிறது.


வெளிநாடுகளுக்குச் சென்று அங்கிருந்து நாடு திரும்ப முடியா மல் தவிப்பவர்கள், மரணமடைந் தவர்களின் உடலை கொண்டு வர உதவுதல், வெளிநாடுகளில் குடியேற்றப் பிரிவு பிரச்சினைகள் உட்பட பல்வேறு வகைகளில் பாதிக்கப்படுபவர்களுக்கு நாங் கள் உதவி வருகிறோம். இதற்கு முன்பே இது போன்று வெளிநாடு களில் இறந்த 5 பேரின் உடல்களை சொந்த ஊருக்கு கொண்டு வர உதவியுள்ளோம் என்றார்.

http://tamil.thehindu.com/tamilnadu...உதவிய-வாட்ஸ்-அப்-நண்பர்கள்/article7546490.ece

 

[P.J.]

Strangers come forth to help Pakistani mom

Strangers come forth to help Pakistani mom

August 17, 2015


The Humans of New York Facebook page is one of the most popular pages on the site and very often the touching stories shared on it go viral. Now the story of a Pakistani mother, who left an abusive relationship and suffers from Hepatitis C has seen an outpouring of support on Facebook with strangers offering to help the woman in the picture.

Please open the link to view picture and read more


http://indianexpress.com/article/trending/strangers-come-forth-to-help-pakistani-mom-whose-story-went-viral-on-facebook/
http://indianexpress.com/article/trending/strangers-come-forth-to-help-pakistani-mom-whose-story-went-viral-on-facebook/

 

[P.J.]

Polio Afflicted Beggar Spends His Money on Deprived Kids' Education

Polio Afflicted Beggar Spends His Money on Deprived Kids' Education

17th August 2015

KARAIKUDI:You might have spotted differently-abled people seeking alms. But have you ever come across any such person using the money so generated for charity? Meet R Selvaraj (73), who begs for a living but gainfully utilises the money by buying stationery for disadvantaged school students in the neighbourhood.

R Selvaraj boards a bus at the Karaikudi bus standSelvaraj, a resident of Karunanidhi Nagar here is polio-afflicted, and has been a mendicant in the Karaikudi new bus stand since 2006, after he gave up his job as a cycle mechanic.

“I’ve been helping disadvantaged students from 1968 after I witnessed children from poor families struggling to get educated due to financial problems. But only after 2006, when I didn’t get any job, including even in the cycle shop, I started imploring people for alms for the welfare of the students,” he said.Selvaraj, however, added that he never appealed to anyone after telling them that he has helping students. “I frequent buses on the Madurai, Tirupattur and other selected routes as I am unable to handle all the routes. I seek alms from each passenger. Sometimes they ignore me. Some donate as much as they can. Even if people ignore me, I never take it to heart,” he said.


>>Related: Numbers Don't Matter to Me, Says Selvaraj


“Though I board buses with difficultly, I do it for the children. If a student wants a bag, I try to get it and surprise him or her with it. When I do such an act, it gives me immense satisfaction,” said Selvaraj, an Economics graduate.

Through social media and by talking to people, he has got some benefactors. One such person from Chennai has been sending Rs 500 every month without fail for the last two years after learning about Selvaraj’s service.









http://www.newindianexpress.com/sta...-Kids-Education/2015/08/17/article2978417.ece

 

[P.J.]

"That's Life" aired in 1988

"That's Life" aired in 1988



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_nFuJAF5F0


Uploaded on Sep 1, 2009


Sir Nicholas Winton who organised the rescue and passage to Britain of about 669 mostly Jewish Czechoslovakian children destined for the Nazi death camps before World War II in an operation known as the Czech Kindertransport. This video is the BBC Programme "That's Life" aired in 1988. The most touching video ever.

 

[P.J.]

Aditi Chauhan Becomes First Indian To Represent Premier League Club In England

Aditi Chauhan Becomes First Indian To Represent Premier League Club In England

Indian footballer Aditi Chauhan has inked a deal with English Premier League (EPL) club West Ham United's ladies team, becoming the first woman player from the country to have been signed up by a top club in England. The club said that Aditi, who has represented the under-19 Indian national women's team at AFC Qualifiers in Malaysia, was a late addition to their squad during pre-season.

Chauhan's football journey kicked off when her school coach asked her to participate in Delhi under-19 team trials. She was appreciated for her contribution to India winning the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) women's cup in 2013.West Ham Ladies are currently in the Football Association's (FA) Women's Premier League Southern Division, a league in the third level in the women's football structure in England. West Ham's senior men's team is a regular at England's top-flight football, the EPL.


"Great news for Indian football! West Ham have signed Indian int'l goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan for their ladies team," West Ham Ladies tweeted on Sunday.

http://www.indiatimes.com/news/spor...nt-premier-league-club-in-england-244268.html