The Acts That Inspire

Stories are what binds souls. Stories are all about the experiences we have had in our lives. Each one of us has a story to tell. But there are some stories that stand out among the rest, that keep you hooked till the end, that inspire you to do something similar, that teaches you a valuable lesson in life. Here is an attempt to bring one such story to you all...

2020 did not really start on a very good note. The CoronaVirus pandemic spread like wildfire in many parts of India and took away many innocent lives. The country was in a state of complete lockdown since March 2020. While the country is still battling the virus, things now have gradually started opening up. Loss of jobs, stranded migrants, hunger, the issues were manifold. A lot of Samaritans came forward to help tackle the issues. Even celebrities joined in the movement to help suffering people. Amidst all these, there has been a section of the society which has gone by unnoticed and have been silent sufferers- the homeless people on the streets and the street animals. With meager to no amenities available to them to fight the virus, the homeless people are prone to infection and spread. Forget the infection, one thing that had added to their suffering with things coming to a standstill was hunger. There was no one to provide them with food, which otherwise would have been arranged in one way or the other had the situations been different. The street animals too were rendered helpless and left to starve. 

There is a beautiful town named Silchar, that lies right in the heart of the state of Assam. The North-Eastern states are known for their generosity and amicable nature. When the deadly virus hit the nation, a beautiful family came to the rescue of these street ‘Gods’, as they call them. Every day, continuously, the family would cook food for the homeless, choose an area in the town, and deliver packets of food to the homeless and street animals. They initially thought it would be a matter of possibly a month or so and then things would go back to normal. No one at that time knew that the pandemic situation would stay for such a long time. Eventually, months went by and it has been 8 months since they started feeding the homeless. As per the family, there is nothing as pious as feeding the hungry.

The initiative has now taken a big shape with lots of volunteers stepping up. Each day now, there are volunteers in different parts of the town carrying out this noble deed, ensuring no one sleeps with an empty stomach. Rajarshi plans to continue this project for as long as he can. They have named the project, “365 helping hands’. The name itself suggests to be there for all 365 days of the year and this is their motive. When they initially started, they never expected that they would reach a mass level and touch so many hearts. 

Inspiring, isn’t it? Just wonder how much love and blessings these humble souls are gathering through this noble deed. An act of being there and providing for the underprivileged sections of the society with no ulterior motives or a wish to be in the limelight, there cannot be anything more pure and inspiring than this. I could not resist penning this piece for all the lovely souls who are a part of this beautiful project. I feel blessed to know and be associated with some of them personally.

Tidbit: I am the Lil Sisky of Rajarshi Daa (our association goes back to 2011 when I was struggling to get my education loan sanctioned. He stood like a pillar and helped me all the way with the process, and the return gift that he wanted for all of that is a “beautiful rakhi”, that glitters in his hand every year).

Fun Fact: He does not know that I am writing about him !!

Rajarshi Daa is not on LinkedIn, but for anyone who wishes to get in touch with him, here is his Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/rajarshi.bhattacharje