I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things!

 

In our college there is a one Guard Aunty. The very first time I came across her was when one college student had died in a road accident and everyone was gathered at the college campus to mourn and pray for his departed soul. After attending that, I returned to the college hostel and saw Guard Aunty sitting near the heater as it was the coldest month of the winters. I stopped by to ask about her well-being and sat near her. She was also disheartened because of the misfortune everyone witnessed by losing one precious student and said "parents se pucho uske bacche ke Jane ka dukh Kya hota hai bachhe samjhte hi nhi khash usne Alcohol pike drive nhi Kiya hota toh aaj vo shyd jinda hota". She said, I known that pain when someone loses their own dear ones because I have lost my husband in March 2019. Then I sympathized with her and asked more about her husband death and that is when she told me that earlier he was a guard in this college but died due to some illness in 2019 and now she got the job in his place and she is the sole bread earner for her family. She told me how difficult her life has become trying to fulfill all the responsibilities of the family, her life could have been eased a bit if she had got the money of insurance and PF she is entitled to but that was to no avail as she has been running from pillar to post to get that money from the last two years.

She told me, she has four children and with this comes the responsibilities of their upbringing and education as she believes in education but she is not able to fulfill this responsibility because she is being deprived of the money she is entitled to after her husband’s death by the Govt. officials who instead of helping her, give her cold shoulder stating her documents are not complete and the biggest irony is that they claim themselves to be Public servants, isn’t it?

She dejectedly said how exhausted she has become tracing the same paths of the office numerous times in the hope of getting her own money. I comforted her and asked her not to worry. Listening to her ordeal made me disconcerted, and that is when I decided to help her and discussed this with Gul Di, who suggested that I should reach out to LEGAL AID CLINIC as they are capable of helping her.

I acknowledged her advice and immediately discussed the matter with sir, who is a member of the Legal Aid Clinic agreed to extend the help and told me that Guard aunty and 4 legal aid clinic members will visit the Guard Office and get all the info regarding documents required to claim insurance and PF fund complexities arising in order to claim the money. But unfortunately, this strategy could not get executed because of some unavoidable reasons, and after that everyone returned home for the Holi holidays and could not get the chance to return to college amid COVID 19 PANDEMIC.

Every time she calls me, hearing her voice full of hope seeking for help overwhelms me. I’m trying my best to solve her problem. I made contact with the guard office member, but they also gave the same excuse that ma’am we are trying but it will consume time because it’s Govt. work. And he also gave me the contact No. of Mumbai head office and I contacted there also but I didn’t get a positive response. Yes, I’m feeling helpless because I am not much aware of the procedure and knowledge required to get the money of PF and insurance. She also told me that the parents of the student who died in the accident got the money. I got dejected thinking that the person who died in Jan 2020, his parent got the money but who died in March 2019, his wife is still struggling to get the money.

Just because the parents of that student were educated, they got the money easily and Guard Aunty is not educated, she is still struggling.

My question is for all the Govt. Officials that why you cannot tell the people who are uneducated and face difficulty to understanding the paperwork, in the layman’s language that what is required, which documents are to get completed. Why you want that person to come to your office numerous times. She asked me to go to the office and enquire them about the money as she is not capable of understanding this intricate process. She also told me how expensive it is to go to the office again and again as it costs her 300 hundred rupees each time she visits there and considering her circumstances this much amount holds substantial significance.

Yesterday, she called me again and said, ‘Beta Ji I’m trying to call Hemant sir (Guard office employee) but he is not receiving my phone, then I told her not to worry and I tried to call him, but he didn’t receive my call as well. I still remember when my father taught me “Garib ka kam phele kro kyuki ameer toh apna kam kaise bhi krwa lega paise ya jugad lgwa kr but garib bichara kaise krwayega na toh uske paas paisa hai na hi koi jugad”.

When do you get satisfaction?

What I believe is that if you are in a position where you can help someone and you do. I am sure you will get a lot of satisfaction.

Let’s Come to the point 

1. I don’t know who might read this blog but I want to say something to you that it is not necessary to do charity and donate money and all but aap jis bhi profession m work kr rhe hai usme aap kisi ki help kaise kr skte hai like aap koi officer hai ya student hai jo future m officer employee honge unse I want to request them that please try to make poor people’s work easy instead of burdening it more.

THANK YOU!!