Physical hindrances and poverty have failed to stop a differently-abled youth from West Bengal’s Birhum district from helping the poor during the lockdown.
Challenges faced by Jagannath Mahara, a resident of the Suri town in Birhbhum are many. Apart from poverty, he was born without any arms. But that has not stopped Mahara from feeding the needy.
“I was born without arms. Whatever little I have saved from providing private tuition I am using it to buy food grains for the pavement dwellers and the homeless,” said Mahara.
He also said that life has become even more difficult for the pavement dwellers since the lockdown has started and he is just trying to alleviate their sufferings a little bit.
However, Mahara is no stranger to challenges. Having no arms he has completed his school education and now is studying in college writing with his foot all these years. Not only does he help the poor with money saved from giving private tuition but also uses it to manage the expenditure of his studies.
His family members said that Mahara’s effort to help the needy started a few weeks back when he saw those pavement dwellers in his locality were almost facing the prospect of starvation. Since then he decided to help them with whatever he has.
However, at one point his savings started to run out and Mahara became worried as to how long he can continue his initiative. Soon a local NGO and several others came forward to help him and the initiative is now continuing with renewed enthusiasm.
“We are very poor ourselves. But helping others is in Jagannath’s nature. When he saw pavement dwellers suffering from hunger during lockdown he decided to help them. Many in our locality have come forward to stand by him,” said Chaaya Mahara, Jaganaath’s mother.