Year-ender 2020: Inspiring stories from Maharashtra that gave people hope

The year 2020 may have been one of the toughest years this generation has witnessed but it also reintroduced us to the raw human grit and determination that breeds out of tough timesWe have rounded up some of the most inspiring stories from Maharashtra that made us believe in human determination in the face of adversitiesMumbai 5star chef loses job sells biryani on roadside stallChef Akshay Parkar was enjoying a fancy job in international luxury cruises and fivestar and sevenstar hotels However when the COVID19 pandemic hit Parkar was fired from the organisation where he had worked for 8 yearsLosing his job didnt deter the Mumbaibased chef to earn a livelihood He opened a roadside stall and started selling 5star quality biryani to eke a livingMumbai Help pours in for 14yearold boy who sells tea to support familySubhans story was shared by Mumbais popular Instagram handle Humans of Bombay Speaking to HOB Subhan said his mother became the sole breadwinner in their family after his father died of heart attack The COVID19 enforced lockdown affected Subhan and his family drastically as the sole earning member his mother lost her job as a school bus attendant since the schools were shut due to the pandemicThe 14yearold took up the odd job of selling tea in the lanes of Nagpada to help his mother and to ensure that his sisters get to study via online classesMumbai Restaurateur launches 247 outreach to make hospital beds ambulance availableIn April Marzy Parakh a restaurateur and philanthropist launched a helpline by tapping his network of doctors hospital staff and citizens with 15 volunteers from LTG We divided city hospitals amongst us one person would be in charge of around 10 Whenever someone would call in with a request we would check with our sources and get back in five minutes he saidWith the infection cases in Mumbai under control the group is now focusing on adopting destitutesNashik Speciallyabled woman becomes sarpanch of 2 villagesMaharashtra A 34yearold speciallyabled woman is serving the society as Sarpanch of 2 villages in Dindori Taluka Nashik district Currently in her 2nd term Kavita Bhondwe made changes in Gram Panchayats affairs amp stood up against illegal practices in Dahegaon amp Waglud pictwittercomOlwZD6kGWUmdash ANI ANI November 24 2020Kavita Bhondwe34 did not let her physical disability to stop her from serving the people of two villages in Dindori Taluka Nashik districtBhondwe who became Sarpanch at the age of 25 is now serving the second term Succeeding as sarpanch was a personal challenge for her as she overcame societal pressures and prejudices against her She brought significant changes in gram panchayats affairs and stood up against illegal practices in the regionShe gives credit to her father for encouraging her to contest the electionAnganwadi staffer rows 18 km daily to tend to newborns pregnant women in villagesMaharashtra Relu Vasave an Anganwadi worker from Nandurbar rows 18 km daily to attend to children under 6 yrs of age amp expecting mothers in interior villagesShe says Rowing daily is tough but its important that babies amp expecting mothers eat nutritious food amp be healthy pictwittercomY7ObYdVfSEmdash ANI ANI November 23 2020A 27yearold female staffer of anganwadi rows 18 kms daily along the Narmada to look after tribal babies and pregnant women in two Maharashtra hamlets after the fear of COVID19 kept the group of tribals from coming to herRelu Vasavebelongs to Nashik and has grown up near Narmada where she learned swimming She borrowed a boat from a local fisherman and started visiting the hamlets of Aligat and Dadar in April so that 25 newborn babies and 7 pregnant women do not miss out on proper medical care and nutritionBeing an Anganwadi member she is supposed to keep checking the weight health and proper growth of newborns and their mothersldquoIt is not easy to row every day My hands pain by the time I am back home in the evening But that doesnt worry me Its important that babies and expecting mothers eat nutritious food and remain healthy I will keep visiting these hamlets till things improve on the COVID19 frontrdquo Relu told ANI