Madhusudan Patra, a 75-year-old from Biranchipur, a village in Odisha set out on a unique mission recently. It all started when he read about how Gandharba Jena, a 65-year-old COVID-19 positive man went missing while being shifted from a local hospital to a government-run medical college.
Madhusudan decided to take charge of the situation, and immediately mobilised around Rs 10,000 and set out on his bike to help Jena's family financially. It took him a distance of 300 kms spanning a duration of 10 hours, but he made it to Gandhraba's village in Jagatsinghpur district, where his family resided.
Gandharba was the sole family earner, and they made a living by weaving bamboo baskets and selling them in their village. Ever since he went missing on 22 May, his family was struggling to make ends meet.
Patra immediately handed over the amount to Gandharba's family, and consoled them to keep hoping for Gandharba's return. Shanti, Gandharba's wife, said, "He said God willing my husband would come back. He also told me not to cry and then gave ₹10,000," in a statement to Hindustan Times.
Jhili, Gandharba's daughter, said that Madhusudan's help comes at a time of dire need when even the police and local authorities are unable to help locate her father. “We have been seeking help from the local police station as well as the block office about my father, but no one helped us in tracing my father. But an old person living hundreds of kilometres away came to help us," she said.
Gestures of kindness from absolute strangers are always unexpected, but delightful and reassuring nonetheless. Patra's help might have restored hope for Gandharba's wife and daughter, and that is exactly what they family needs right now. Patra, now a local celebrity, said that he did this merely to help out a family in distress. He added, "I have some land in my village, but no children. So I have been helping people during the lockdown."
(With inputs from Hindustan Times).
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