People of Barmer thank Social activist Ishwar Choudhary emerges as a ray of hope for people in Rajasthan during COVID-19
Selfless deeds start with selfish needs. Ishwar Choudhary is a philanthropist from Rajasthan who has participated in awareness movements, clean-up campaigns, protests for different causes, and extensive ground-level research. The people got to know him closely during the lockdown period when he approached to give essential necessities to the needy people of Barmer.
He says “I know the value of wealth and the class division it brings. As a proprietor, I have a full-time profession now to earn my living. My journey began with relief and activism in emergency crises such as cyclones, floods, and other calamities.” He got the first-hand experience of handling the aftermath of a natural disaster, engaged with various NGOs and activists, and established contacts. Since then, he involved himself with social service activities in different areas. He further said, “I ensure everything I donate or use for these social works comes from my pocket.
A ray of hope
Cut to 2020, this COVID-19 epidemic induced lockdown gave him another opportunity to help the needy. He realized the situation was bad with no basic groceries available to many people from different sectors. He said, “They are not government-aided and simply rely on funds from people like you and me, who either make monthly or occasional donations.” He prepared a list of such places and started helping them with relief materials.
He shortlisted hundreds of families who are in need, living in rural areas and have not received any sort of help since the lockdown began. Every day he used to distribute masks, sanitizers, and food in the outskirts of the city. He informed, “I rented out space to use it as a godown to stock up relief materials.”
The relief kit he was distributing had rice, sugar, salt, essential vegetables, and spices. Each kit cost nearly Rs 1,000. Each could last for a month. It took him a couple of weeks to finish the distribution. Later, the curfew time extended to 7 pm and he had more time to carry on with distribution. All the beneficiaries thanked him with folded hands and tears in their eyes.
- up18 News
