In year 2015, handful of students from Mumbai University, Maharashtra came together and determined of making a world a better place for those who are debarred from basic necessities of life. They began searching for such communities and to their shock not too far away from Mumbai they found their first village in Bhiwandi Taluka situated hardly 65 kms away from Mumbai. After continuously visiting those hamlets the only inference they were able to pull out was that only educated future can nourish and develop these hamlets. In year 2015 they initiated this noble service of education by just taking responsibility of 2 kids from a village named Chiradpada, Bhiwandi and this initiative led to the foundation of an organisation named RAJANI FOUNDATION (INDIA).
After five years, today RFIndia is responsible medium for education of about 205 students battling to gain their right to education in about 17 villages situated in talukas of Bhiwandi, Roha, Khalapur, and Borivali. The mode the Foundation has opted for facilitating these kids with sound educational facilities was via creating an inevitable connection between privileged urban individuals and these underprivileged tribal hamlets that is via requesting privileged individuals to come forward and take the educational responsibility of less privileged children through RFIndia’s “Each One, Teach One” initiative. Year back few of the hamlets had a history not a single student completing or appearing class X. Today in those hamlets few of the students have become first not in their families but also in their village to appear for class X. Rajani Foundation (India), today also plays significant role in various developmental aspects such as cleanliness, women and youth empowerment, etc.in and outside Mumbai.
Today in 2020, The terror of pandemic named Covid-19 is grasping every soul present on this planet, Maharashtra came out to be one of the worst hit state in India with around 1,69,883 cases of Covid-19 patients while I am writing this text. The wrath of Covid-19 in state has also affected these tribal hamlets. The fear in those villages not only resides due to chances of infections but also due to lack of jobs amid lockdown as the earning members of those hamlets are mostly daily wagers, they are strained to stay hungry for days due to lack of proper supply of foods and other necessities.
Rajani Foundation (India) has been working from last 5 years for the benefit of such hamlets by making all arrangements essential for providing good education to the children of those hamlets but during this dire circumstance the responsibilities on shoulders of NGOs like Rajani Foundation (India) was much huge than just providing education.
With complete sense of responsibility and duty Rajani Foundation (India) on 16th May 2020 appealed by means of various social media platforms to raise fund for curbing out the difficulties faced by 40 families of tribal hamlets in Khalapur due to hunger and lack of employment, etc. To their astonishment within span of 3 days RFIndia was able to receive an unexpectedly significant amount more than their target which helped RFIndia to provide groceries and other essential products to additional 20 families bringing total to 60 families at the hamlets in Khalapur taluka. “The donations which we received ranged from INR 1 to INR 7000, this shows that service to Humanity is not a quantitative, rather is a qualitative phenomenon and depends on purity of one’s intent to help others.” says Mr. Ketan Kamble, Secretary, RFIndia. As soon as the donation portal shut down on 19th May 2020, all the volunteers and members of Rajani Foundation (India) made sure that all the goods shall be purchased and supplied at Khalapur within span of 24 hours and on 20th May 2020 RFIndia not only successfully distributed the goods but also set up a ration pickup and distribution point at the site for the future needs of the residents of hamlets.
“The awareness shown by the villagers during distribution was astounding as everyone remarkably followed the protocol of Social Distancing and other guidelines prescribed by the government.” says Mr. Pranay Jangam, Co-founder, RFIndia.
“Every member associated to this cause witnessed absolute sense of satisfaction after successful execution and completion of initiative and now RFIndia was all motivated and prepared to target other hamlets as well.” says Mr. Aniket Salvi, President, RFIndia.
At the end, team RFIndia proved that, no society is disintegrated from each other. They just need an efficient medium like RFIndia to stand by our fellow people in solidarity and help overcome the difficulties in such trying circumstances. Afterall, ‘We rise by lifting others’ and we shall continue to do so.
-Raunak Giri,
Member, Rajani Foundation (India)
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