This season of KBC is proving to be more special than previous seasons for we have seen more special people in this season, who are selflessly working for the benefit of society. Earlier I was compelled to write a blog on Waterman and after seeing the yesterday’s telecast, I am compelled now to write about the Medicineman. He started by saving a part of his pocket money for helping needy cancer patients. In fact, for several years he did so by hiding this fact from his family, However, his wife did not oppose his good work and on the contrary extended her full support. He was encouraged to go whole hog into his work and he decided to give his restaurant to someone else to run. After years of grind, his efforts were noticed by his friends, who after the initial hesitation started supplementing his financial resources. Now his Sanstha has started receiving substantial voluntary donations, though he needs to double this amount looking to the demand from the needy patients and their families.
His approach his holistic. He runs a medicine outlet that sells medicines at cheap rates and also gives free to those who can’t pay anything. Then he goes around talking to cancer patients, counselling them, giving them hope, playing with children suffering from cancer and making available food to the patients and his/her family members. It was spine tingling to learn certain stories that how family members accompanying patients to Tata Memorial Hospital have no place to live but the footpath and how ladies were exposed to physical assault by drug addicts and other hoodlums of the area. His aspiration is to make a rest house for family members accompanying patients where they can stay in the safety of four walls at least.
At a time, when we are chasing money and materials, a person is dedicating all his resources and life to welfare of patients. He never says no to anyone approaching him and he is God to so many who lost all hope after being affected by cancer. As he rightly put, all religions preach anna daan (feeding the hungry) , but no religion preached dawa daan (medicines to the needy), which as per him is the ultimate charity. His only earning is a sound good night sleep that beckons him as soon as he hits the bed!
Can all of us strengthen the hands of Harakchand Savla in his mission for the mankind? First the Waterman, then the cabbie from West Bengal who runs a school for the down trodden and now the Medicineman, this season of KBC is worthy of being weighed in Gold!
Arvind Arya blog 
Good writing as always Arvind. Yes I had heard about this man’s work while I was in Mumbai though frankly speaking I did not remember his name afterwards. There are many good samaritans working tirelessly for the benefit of the disadvantaged. The other day in the Bengali reality show called Didi No One that my wife is addicted to, they were interviewing a young lady from deep south of South 24 Parganas not far from the Sunderbans area . She runs an organisation that rescues girls and children who are victims of human trafficking. Once there was a woman who has been working with the inmates of various jails in West Bengal, teaching them how to act on stage (and thereby keeping them out of mischief making ). She now takes her troupes to all corners of the state. This has boosted the morale and self confidence of these inmates who would otherwise have fallen victim to all the ills that ail our jails.. It is people like these that keep our country going, in spite of our corrupt bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and sundry other scum that inhabit our environment…
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Hats off to all these people
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