A Kohlapur story
Prabhakar Kulkarni
Storms disturb normal life. Those who suffer either have enough monetary strength to restart their life or they receive help from others. But a very poor family in a remote village faces a unique situation. A house of a poor family at village Kabnur in Kolhapur district was smashed by a storm, the roof was shattered and mother and her son received severe injuries. Who will help them, as there was no helpline? However, a news story of their plight worked as a help line and individuals and institutions rushed to the village to help the family and restored both their house and normal living.
A sudden storm smashed small house of Ms.Sushila Burse who was living with her three sons. The off-season heavy rains in the first week of May disturbed life in the village and the Ms.Burses house was so smashed that her two legs and son Maruti`s hand was fractured. The other two sons Ganesh and Deepak were out as they were working in a local hotel. They came and arranged to get the wounded admitted in a nearby hospital and as they had no house they stayed in their friend`s house.
The news appeared in the Kolhapur edition of the Pune-based daily Sakal which triggered the process of helping the poor family. The correspondent who gave the news, Sanjay Khool has his own social organization named `Samvad` which is dedicated to social activities and works as a coordinator to collect funds and material for the crisis affected people and families. Mr.Khool and other local newsmen, press photographers, local teachers, municipal members in the region and also gram panchayat members joined together to collect the required material and rebuilt the damaged house with a sound roof.
The mother Sushila and her son were admitted in an orthopedic surgeon Mr.Balasaheb Lande`s hospital in a nearby town. As Sushila required blood that also was collected and nine bottles were transfused. While the medical bill is normally high, it was reduced to an affordable limit by Dr.Lande in view of need to help the poor family.
The house is now well built, the wounded inmates have recovered and are living normal life. The off-season calamity is over and the family is well equipped to face the seasonal rains and the normal struggle for living. This happened because of a news and follow-up relief operations in which both newsmen and social workers individuals and institutions participated.