Track Nation Next on Social Media

Social

Inspiring story of founder of Pune’s Mahatma Gandhi School that shelters over 350 underprivileged children

Vinayak Deokar

Vinayak Deokar?

After distributing meals to around 8,500 needy families amid COVID-19 pandemic, Pune’s Mahatma Gandhi School, a free English medium school, developed to support underprivileged students, on the occasion of Diwali, has taken up an initiative to distribute over 350 food kits and new clothes to children and their respective families. 


?Mahatma Gandhi School takes children for Diwali shopping 

Here’s the founder of the school Vinayak Deokars awe-inspiring story:

After my biological parents abandoned me at the age of three, a couple (which was in its 50s and worked as daily wage earners) adopted me, . I lost my father during my 10th boards and my mother, at the age of 25 to mouth cancer. 

I had to skip my 10th boards; got married soon after. Since I could not receive proper education and had responsibility of my family, I was forced to serve at tables at a small restaurant and sell lottery tickets. In 2001, at the age of 28, I was diagnosed with a serious cardiac disease, which left me devastated. I felt like the world was ending for me.

However, my life changed its entire course since then. A few days later, a woman, along her four-year-old son visited me. The son was suffering from a heart disease and required financial support, which made me rethink of what was I doing. I decided to choose the path of a social worker to help others in need.

I went on to establish Jeevan Mitra Pratishthan Charitable Trust. Many of my close ones told me that it wasn’t going to work out and that it wasn’t possible for me to help so many people for free. But, with faith and hope, the trust was inaugurated on January 18, 2002, by the hands of Padma Bhushan awardee Late Mr Balasaheb Bharde, in presence of Founder of Ruby Hall Dr KB Grant.

Later on, after the success of my trust, I founded Mahatma Gandhi School in 2013 to support the education of children who came from financially distressed families.
Mahatma Gandhi School, Pune

Mahatma Gandhi School, Pune

Speaking about adaption of Gandhian philosophy in his school, I feel, today’s academic pattern has become very competitive, due to which students don’t really learn to acquire knowledge, but compete for a position, which adds very less meaning to their lives. As Gandhian philosophy says, don’t run for money, money should be a need and not your destiny. If money bore such power, then great men like Lord Gautam Buddha, Lord Mahatma or Mahatma Gandhi wouldn’t have sacrificed their riches for the greater good.

Today, my students know much more about life of Mahatma Gandhi than any other child from a well-off school would know. We surface Gandhijis achievements as a freedom fighter, but it does not define him. To know Gandhiji, one needs to do a detailed study on him.

Getting admission into reputed schools and colleges may guarantee you a good career, but we need to run our society and our country as well. So how good of a human have we become plays no role in such money-oriented mind-set.

Some years back, I decided to reach out to a person who was a merit student in 10th boards some 15 years ago. I check up on where did he reach in his life. As I visited him and asked about his whereabouts and what he had done, he constantly kept on telling me about his achievements and his investments. I wondered a man who scored 98 per cent in boards definitely has a mind of an extra-ordinary person, but what he shared to me was nothing more than what a common man did in his daily life.

We have been born to do something extra-ordinary in our lives rather than just working, eating and sleeping. This is what I have learnt from Gandhiji ? that anyone has the potential to serve if they want to. I believe that a common man, who gets his day-off during weekends, must at-least dedicate some hours of his day into social service. If we wouldn’t do it, then who will? 

Continue Reading
Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Nagpur News

RMBRCN celebrates Charter Presentation & Installation, Rina Sinha becomes Charter President

Published

on

The Rotary Means Business chapter of Rotary Club Of Nagpur (RMBRCN) celebrated their Charter Presentation and Installation of Board on September 17, 2023 in a crisp official ceremony at Hotel Centre Point, Nagpur.

Rotary Means Business encourages Rotarians to support the success of their fellow Rotarians by doing business with them and by referring others to them.

Charter President Past President Rtn Rina Sinha presided over the ceremony. Renowned entrepreneur and Rotarian Aspi Bapuna, Chairman of Bapuna Group, was the Chief Guest and  Rtn Namita Sharma, President of RCN, was the Guest of Honour.

The Board of Directors of RMBRCN include Rtn Navneet Jain, Vice President, Rtn Mohammed Master, Honorary Secretary, Rtn Sanjay Aggarwal Treasurer, Rtn Rakhi Bhatia Director Chapter Service, Rtn Rahul Shrivastava, Director Vocational Service, Dr Ruchi Choudhry, Director Membership Development, Ranjana Duseja, Director Attendance.

Past Rotary District Governor (PDG) Shabbir Shakir, Past Presidents- Bharat Goenka , Khushnoor Chugh, Sanjiv Chugh, Akhtar Parvez, Tejinder Singh Rawal, Alok Goenka,  Jerestine Watchmaker, Sandeep Dhodapkar, Sanjay Arora, President RMB Nagpur, and Behram Patel and Amitabh Sinha were present.

President Rina Sinha informed that within a short period of its formation already 48 members representing various businesses  have joined the chapter and the numbers are increasing . The Chapter has already crossed 5 crores of business amongst their members and RMB will further strengthen Rotary in membership growth and retention .

Chief Guest Rtn Aspi Bapuna lauded the chapter’s success and reiterated that its comfortable and safe to do business among fellow rotarians as all follow the Four Way Test of Rotary. Jerestine introduced President Rina. Aspi Bapuna  presented the charter and installed President Rina Sinha . Rtn Namita congratulated the RMB chapter and informed that this is the new initiative at RCN.The Board was installed by Rina Sinha and all members were installed by the Past Presidents. An exclusive digital Monthly Magazine ‘Growth Engine’ was launched by Editor Niharika Chugh Vali.

 Navneet Jain and Rahul Choudhry conducted the referral and thank you session where enthusiastic members informed about their successful business details. Nishchay Sinha launched the social media and MYRMB app which connects members to other chapters digitally, Treasurer Sanjay Agarwal gave treasurers report, Rtn Rakhi Bhatia managed the event. Rtn Parag Datey and Niharika were the Masters of Ceremony (MOCs). Secretary Mohammed Master proposed the formal Vote of Thanks .

Also read: Jayaswal Neco group celebrate BL Shaw’s 90th Birthday, 50th Founder’s Day in a huge gala event in Nagpur

Continue Reading

Nagpur News

Nitin Gadkari inaugurates double-decker electric bus availed for senior citizens in Nagpur

Published

on

Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, on Saturday, inaugurated the double-decker electric bus designed for senior citizens in Nagpur. The initiative has been undertaken in association with Ashok Leyland’s CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Committee and Jyeshtha Nagarik Pratishthan.

Executive President of Jyeshtha Nagarik Pratishthan Datta Meghe, Vice Chairman of Ashok Leyland Limited Yash Sachar, CEO of Switch Mobility Mahesh Babu, and other dignitaries were present during the inauguration.

“I am very thankful to Ashok Leyland’s electric vehicle arm ‘Switch Mobility’ for donating an electric bus for our senior citizens. The bus can hold a capacity of 65 people and will benefit a lot to disabled and senior citizens,” Gadkari said.

“We already have a green Electra bus available to us for the past five to six years. Krishna Reddy has taken the responsibility of repairing and providing air-conditioning to the bus, moreover, he is providing us with one additional bus. A Tata Motor bus will be arriving this month as well, giving us a total of four buses to operate. This will solve the issue of waiting list due to the lack of buses for senior citizens in the city.” he added.

With the help of these buses, senior citizens can avail the benefit of free trips to religious places like Ambhora, Adasa, Shegaon, Mahur, Dhapewada, and Kalamb.

Also read: NMC confiscates 117 PoP idols, collects Rs 10,000 fine from seller

 

Continue Reading

Nagpur News

Nagpur: Married man accused of girlfriend’s rape commits suicide on Facebook live

Published

on

A 38-year-old married man named Manish alias Raj Yadav, on Sunday, committed suicide during a Facebook live-stream after allegedly being accused of rape by his girlfriend and her family in Nagpur.

During the live stream, Manish, who was married and a father to three children, stated that his 19-year-old girlfriend, Kajal, along with her family members demanded a sum of five lakh rupees and threatened to press charges of rape if he failed to do so.

On September 6, the situation became grave as the woman’s family accused him of eloping after Kajal went missing from her residence.

The deceased refused the claims of having any sexual relationship with the woman and identified her, her family, and a photo studio operator responsible for his condition. He, then, jumped into the river.

After the live video surfaced online, Kalamna Police launched a search operation and recovered the deceased’s body from the river. Four people have been detained in the case for questioning. Further investigation is underway.

Also read: NMC confiscates 117 PoP idols, collects Rs 10,000 fine from seller

Continue Reading
Advertisement
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x