JOIN USThree weeks after COVID-19 lockdown was announced, Bantwal Pete was sealed as two patients tested positive for novel coronavirus. Of them, one died.
Fear prevailed and the residents were naturally extra-cautious. Like any other resident, 31-year-old Arjun Bhandarkar was confined to his home, but the urge to help people made his presence felt in different parts of the state. This software engineer’s innate desire to help others was channelised when he experienced the grim realities of hospitalisation and its expenses during the treatment of his father who was not well.
“Though we had sufficient insurance cover and were financially strong, we had to struggle to arrange money immediately due to lockdown. That got me thinking. If we, who had good jobs and were earning well, faced difficulties in arranging money, then what about the fate of those who had no means of raising money,” said Arjun. In no time, he went about crowdfunding for the needy and so far, raised Rs 14 lakh, benefiting 11 families with huge hospital bills. The initial days were not as smooth as he had anticipated. Arjun had to reach out to more than 1,000 people in order to raise enough money to help one family. The task was to identify the right people in need of support and reach more donors. Arjun has his own checks and balances in place to ensure that the money is not misused.
He contacts his vast network of donors by submitting a fundraiser petition on social media. Arjun also runs a Facebook page, ‘Help to save a life: Lend a helping hand’. Praveen from Udupi, who works as driver, says, “My daughter Samanvi (5) suffers from blood cancer. Arjun supported us when we desperately needed financial assistance by transferring the money to the hospital’s account. For the past month, I am regularly updating him about my daughter’s health and our financial position. It’s difficult to imagine our condition without his help.”
Prakyath, a teacher in Mulihitlu, who had pledged almost everything in his house for his mother’s cancer treatment, saw a ray of hope when Arjun met him. “After going through the medical records of my mother, Arjun transferred the money within two days and supported me emotionally,” he says.
One of Arjun’s campaigns was to raise money for Ruthvik in Udupi who suffered from profound deafness. “Our desire for a cochlear implant was realised after he raised Rs 1.17 lakh through crowdfunding,” Ruthvik’s mother Prameela said. “Helping these needy families is something that I will cherish as my lockdown memory forever,” says Arjun.