Pune-Based Auto Rickshaw Driver Spent From His Wedding Funds To Feed Migrant Workers During The Pandemic, Gets Featured In Bharat Ke Mahaveer
Pune, November 20, 2020: Bharat Ke Mahaveer, a three-part series launched by United Nations in India and NITI Aayog, in partnership with Discovery channel, and presented by Dia Mirza and Sonu Sood, features 12 champions from across India who have gone out of their way to help those in need during the COVID19 pandemic.
Akshay Sanjay Kothawale, an auto rickshaw driver in Pune, has been feeding 400 migrant workers daily and has also been providing them shelter during these difficult times. During the lockdown, he has also been offering free auto rides to pregnant ladies and old age people to the hospitals for their check-up. For this noble cause, Akshay spent ₹2 lakhs from his wedding fund and received a donation of ₹6 lakhs, which he is using optimally to reach out to more people in need.
Akshay Kothawale said, “These are really difficult times for everyone. As a human being, it is our duty to help others who are in need and that was my aim too. When I saw that so many people were out of work and couldn’t even go back home nor had the money to survive here, I decided to step up. I didn’t think twice before using my wedding funds to arrange food and shelter for these migrant workers. I felt really happy when I was given the donation of Rs. 6 Lakhs because that meant I could help even more people.”
Actor Sonu Sood said, “Akshay Kothawale and his fiance saved up funds for their wedding; but the lockdown led to Pune closing down, lesser supplies and a lot of hungry people. Akshay could not bear to see this and decided to do his bit as a citizen, and he did his bit for sure. His auto rickshaw became a vehicle that brought smiles to many. What he says is true – you need to be able to have that daring because the power of one can move the earth.”
Other notable stories featured in Bharat Ke Mahaveer are of 12 year old Ridhi who raised over 11 lakh and supplied over 2,000 ration-kits during the pandemic through her Project Care-ona, 85 year old Saroja Sundararajan, a Math teacher who sold creative mathematics worksheets to donate INR 2 lakh to the PM Care’s Fund, Srini Swaminathan, who provided over 1 lakh 45 thousand care packages to migrant workers returning to their hometowns in Shramik trains, Inder Singh Yadav , a railway police officer who sprinted behind a moving train to provide milk for an infant. It also features Langar on Wheels, an initiative by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, which continues to feed 1 lakh people living on streets, daily, school students Rohan Ray and Akash Raghavan from Bengaluru, who started an online fitness club for children and donated all their earnings and savings for Covid relief ; the National Law School of India University Bengaluru, alumni batch of 2000 chartered 10 flights all across India for migrant workers to reach their homes. The show features transgender rights activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi who has been distributing 200 meals every day since May 2020 for the community; Raji Radhakrishnan, a 31 year old girl with disability, who stitched more than 2000 masks for frontline workers and Baba Karnail Singh Khaira, who fed over 2 million people, free of cost, through his roadside eatery on NH-7, Maharashtra. Bharat Ke Mahaveer also features a heartwarming story from one of India’s aspirational districts Mewat, Haryana, where a community radio station – managed entirely by locals – is raising awareness about COVID-19 while ensuring children continue to learn.
Bharat Ke Mahaveer airs on Discovery and Discovery HD Channels, every Friday.
Bharat Ke Mahaveer is a television programme and not a contest, and the 12 stories are representative of the spirit of solidarity and unity in the country.
