A BEAUTIFUL ANGEL FLIES FROM THANE

Angels are visibly invisible!

This Beautiful Angel from Thane is still invisible to me because I have never met him in person. First, I heard about him from my trustee friend Swapnil Barai. He got to know this Beautiful Angel through his friend Harshal Jarode during one of his Bombay visits.

In fact, this post is long overdue. I could not write about this Beautiful Angel because of my working schedule and mental stress. He came to our Trust's help and support, when we really needed the most.

For the first time, I interacted with him over one or two mails. Then SMS to thank him for his generous support and kindness. I really don't know, I was just not able to even call him. Then one fine day, I called him and thanked him over phone and got to know him. It was a beautiful interaction sharing our views with each other. I really don't have suitable words to describe this amazing Beautiful Angel's intention in life. It is angels like him, which make this world a better and beautiful place.

The Beautiful Angel Yogesh Kulkarni arrives from Thane. He hails from Akola district, the Vidarbha Region. He is inspired by his younger brother Sagar Kulkarni, who from a very young age used to do his bit working for orphanages and helping them along with his friends. Yogesh always wanted to help farmers and had the intention to lend his support. During our conversation, he disclosed his helplessness because he never knew how he could help the farmers' community and whom to approach.

His good intentions were reciprocated by his friends, however, they were skeptical. He continued to lend his kind contribution to Sagar. He said, "Whatever possible, we were content to do from our side, we did in our own small ways. My younger brother is the BIG Inspiration and when I look at his devotion towards orphanages, I feel nice from within. A chance meeting with Swapnil Barai opened new vistas to look at things in the larger perspective about the farmers' community. He informed me about various possibilities. And I was glad to hear your trust is lending support to suicide affected farmers' families' girl child with long term future education by opening R / D (Recurring Deposit)."

So one fine day, I get a mail from Yogesh with the NEFT in our Trust's Account. 

 

Yes, it has been more than two months since this happened. I wish to apologize to Yogesh for such a long delay from my side. Please do forgive me Yogesh... things were just out of my control. His generous contribution will be able to support our second beneficiary Rohini Subhash Patil for a year.

We are truly grateful to you Yogesh for being such a Beautiful Angel to come forward on your own to extend help and support. Sai Baba bless your brother Sagar, your noble family members and you always and forever!

We are also very grateful to Harshal Jarode and Swapnil Barai, who brought the Beautiful Angel in my contact. Sai Baba bless you both always and forever!

We certainly need more Beautiful Angels to come forward to lend their kind support, so we are able to help more girl child with their higher education.

The "Journey of Destiny" has taken a new direction and I am glad the reach is increasing to a wider circle now. We look forward for more Beautiful Angels to fly from various parts of the World on their beautiful wings.

Thank you so much Sai Baba for sending me Beautiful Angels at the perfect time. I feel so blessed!

A SMALL PART OF ME !

A small part of me

The "Journey of Destiny" continues and I am just flowing with the flow.

I am truly grateful Sai Baba for everything you have blessed me with!

A BEAUTIFUL ANGEL FLIES FROM GURGAON

Angels are visibly invisible !

Angels fly to complete your 'destiny' in the most miraculous way. Not many accept this beautiful truth, but I do!

Ever since I started the "Journey of Destiny" I have experienced many miracles coming my way to shape up my incomplete 'destiny'. Many "Beautiful Angels" flew from places I have never been to; visibly invisible and when they became visible to be part of my 'destiny', I realized how blessed my life has been. Each one of us, enter others' life in the most unexpected ways to play a role. Ways, that is totally hard to decipher in our understanding.

Shephalika Misra Sharma is one such beautiful angel, who entered my 'destiny' in the most unexpected way. When she became a part of my 'destiny', she was always eager to play the role, she was destined to. And when the time was right, she came forward on her own. Not many, who read the "Journey of Destiny" have come forward to lend their support and kind help to help girl child education of suicide affected families in Vidarbha.

My life is committed to help the suicide farmers' families in my own small ways. Shephalika came to know about the movement and assured me she will help support the cause. Sitting far way from Vidarbha, she has the heart of gold to understand the pain and miseries of girl children of suicide farmers' families. She flew on her wings from Gurgaon to come with her kind support and help. 

Our Trust - "support 4 suicide farmers families, Wardha" opens an R/D Account for a girl child of affected family for 7 years, so that when the child is ready to enter college, the matured money comes in her aid at the perfect time for her higher education. 

The "Journey of Destiny" takes its own twists and turns and I have learned to flow with the 'flow of the almighty'. It has been a lovely experience to surrender self in Nature's hand. I remember, there was a time, when I was selling vegetables in the first exclusive Vegetables' Supermarket 'Tarkari' in Road No. 1 Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. I was blessed by vegetables' vendors and sellers of Monda Market, from where I used to procure vegetables every morning for our shop. The love and affection of each one of them, from a tiny toddler to the 80-year-old Chicha, men and women, blessed me to make me a journalist of repute in Bollywood. I ended up writing for 60 plus esteem National and International publications. I went onto become Editor of an Interiors magazine in barely 7 years of my professional career.

In 2008, I gave away my professional life to start blogging on social issues of the poor and the common people. And on March 12, 2010, the "Journey of Destiny" started on a new unknown road. Road, that I had never known would lead me to miseries, pain, hardships, sorrows, challenges to joy, happiness, contentment. Deep down I kept my faith on my Sai Baba all the while. I knew, my Baba had chosen my path for a reason and the reason was to help few lives with the help of "Beautiful Angels", like Shephalika Misra Sharma and many others.

From March 2010 to September 2015, I have interacted with many suicide affected farmers' families, travelled to various villages in different States of India. I always collected a very selective amount of funds for the Trust to help few families. These 5 years, have seen all my personal money invested in the "Journey of Destiny" with no regrets at all. Not to mention, the 'DEBTS' kept increasing on me to survive and keep doing as destined. Sai Baba has blessed me with amazing great friends and kept sending me "Beautiful Angels" to keep me alive all the while.

The ever increasing 'Debts' had made me to search for jobs ever since the beginning of 2013... I did get few jobs too... Each one of them lasted less than a month as destined. It was frustrating but I always knew my Sai Baba was shaping me in His own ways to make me ready for the 'Right Job'. And when I was ready, HE lifted me from Wardha to place in Hyderabad as the Editor of an International website. The site is on design trends and we will be launching the site soon. I shall inform you all.

Through this post, I wish to thank Shephalika Misra Sharma for flying all the way from Gurgaon as one of the "Beautiful Angels". Sai Baba bless you always and forever Shephalika!

THREE DECADES - 372 Crores to 7,777 Crores to 13,000 Crores - Irrigation Still Alludes Vidarbha Farmers

Is this money for the Politicians to LOOT in the name of the FARMERS?

Chief minister announces Rs 700 crore relief for families displaced by Gosikhurd dam

Chittaranjan Tembhekar | Aug 18, 2015, 01.12 AM IST

MUMBAI: In a last-ditch effort to make the state's most tainted and largest irrigation project at Gosikhurd near Nagpur start irrigating farmlands to its full capacity and to rehabilitate its oustees awaiting relief for decades, the state government has announced a fresh package of Rs 700 crore.

But chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed the contractors and engineers of the project to pay from their own pockets to refurbish the substandard works.

The Gosikhurd National Irrigation Project, considered a lifeline for east Vidarbha, is still not complete though planned three decades ago.

In July 2012, TOI had reported that Gosikhurd project in Bhandara district, which was approved at a cost of Rs 372 crore in 1982, was nowhere near completion even as the cost had jumped to Rs 7,777 crore, of which Rs 6,600 crore has already been spent. Moreover, the state had plans to raise the budget for the project to Rs 13,000 crore. Recently, the CAG had pointed out over-expenditure of about Rs 70,000 crore on construction of dams across the state without achieving any irrigation on ground.

Though the Gosikhurd project was meant to irrigate 2.50 lakh hectares in Vidarbha, the actual irrigation potential created till June 30, 2011, was just 34,029 ha and water reached only to 1,582 ha. These disturbing figures were presented by the water resources department to the state assembly during the budget session in 2012. Vidarbha region has recorded over 10,000 farmer suicides in the past decade.

Fadnavis, who had recently visited the project site, said all villages falling within the project area would be rehabilitated and a certain amount would be kept for maintenance of gram panchayats of 34 newly resettled villages. "Besides, a Rs 120-crore fund will be given to complete the Bawanthadi project in the same region," he said. To expand irrigation capacity, acquisition of land and creation of infrastructure, such as concrete roads, water supply system, and power supply, for the resettled villages will be the major works to be undertaken.

As the project had been stalled since February 2012, the central aid dried up following complaints of shoddy work and mismanagement. In 2013, the Centre had offered a much-needed Rs 405 crore.

COURTESY: The Times of India

A BEAUTIFUL ANGEL FLIES FROM FRANCE

Angels are visibly invisible!

Many of you readers of this blog must be wondering why I say this and what the above simple sentence means. To me, the above sentence means, I am blessed and surrounded by miracles! I feel fortunate because I have met amazing 'Beautiful Angels' while treading the "Journey of Destiny".

The above sentence also signifies that every day everywhere and everyone has an angel that is deep rooted within the self. How only few of us really get to meet, interact, get supported and support by these miracle angels is the matter of time and one's heart to make the angel to reappear from the within. I feel blessed because many 'Beautiful Angels' have flown from allover the world to be part of my "Journey of Destiny".

I met Mandy Rukwa in Facebook way back in June 2013. She liked one of my photographs and used to share my blog posts even before we became friends. I sent her a friend's request. I still remember the first sentence she said to me - "que puis-je faire pour les aider?" (What can I do to help?). She is also a brilliant nature photographer and a nature lover. I was grateful to her for spreading the word about the movement - support 4 suicide farmers families!

Right from the very beginning of our interaction, she understood and even asked me if I have ever regretted to make the choice of helping suicide affected farmers' families in Vidarbha. Needless to say, our friendship grew stronger with each passing day because she understood the importance and significance of what I was doing. 

During one of our conversation she said to me, "You are in the right way of heart, don't change because it is the choice of the divine that you have been led to this path." These sweet kind encouraging words filled adrenaline in my undying spirits. I know, the more I can recollect all the beautiful interactions we have had, the more I can write about this 'Beautiful Angel'. What mattered to me the most is that a person who is thousand of miles away from where I live understood exactly what I was destined to do was 'Divine', while many friends of mine in Bombay said - I was crazy to take such a step and that I would fail to part ways as friends. No regrets at all!

A 'Beautiful Angel' with you is far better in life than tens of so-called friends. Isn't it true my friends?

I have been struggling to get a job since the past two and a half years because I wanted to extend support to more girl child of suicide affected farmer' families with whatever I earn. There are many 'Beautiful Angels' and 'Amazing Friends' who have been helping and supporting me ever since I started the "Journey of Destiny". However, the obligation of rising debts and raising more funds to help more children made me look for jobs and be a little secure in life. 

The "Journey of Destiny" is meant to help support more girl child for their higher education so they can take care of their respective families and give their widowed mother some relief in life by achieving the unexpected. Our Trust raises only that much amount, which is needed for a year to help support the affected farmers' families. As destined we came across few genuine cases and the misery and hardship the farmers' widow were going through with multiple growing children, made us to extend more of our Trust's support. We open 7 years recurring deposit in the name of a girl child per family. The maturity amount comes in help when the child is ready to enter college to pursue her higher education.

Recently, we extended our support to the second suicide farmer's families in Metikheda village in Yavatmal district, link given below:

http://support4suicidefarmersfamilies.blogspot.in/2015/08/farmers-widow-of-metikheda-life-must-go.html

When I requested Mandy, she extended her kind support to support one more girl child immediately. Through this post I wish to thank my "Beautiful Angel" to fly all the way from France to help support the next-in-line girl child of suicide affected farmer's families. Sai Baba bless you always and forever 'Beautiful Angel'. We are truly very-very grateful for your kindness.

We (the Trust) are blessed to be the medium between "Beautiful Angels" of the World and the affected farmers' families. We wish, more angels will fly to help us support more girl child in Vidarbha.

FARMER’S WIDOW OF METIKHEDA: LIFE MUST GO ON…

PLEASE NOTE: All those readers, who wish and want to join hands in creating solutions for debt ridden and distressed families, please contact Trustee SWAPNIL BARAI at: azadswapnil@gmail.com

Many a times, I have failed to understand the existence of God. Many a times, I question the Creator of the Universe as to why s/he created the world that has more miseries than happiness. Why does the Creator always harass the poor, test them with natural calamities, troubles them with life – that is full of struggle, not to mention the harassment by the System of the Nation. How the poor makes their ends meet to survive is truly very-very painful and heart rendering.

Life must go on…

That is what each one of us is doing in this universe. Problems of life never cease to exist. Certainly it is not at all fair O’ God!

Swapnil Barai, our Trustee, did an extensive research work recently in Yavatmal district, interacting with farmers’ suicide affected families. It is not at all an experience anybody would even dream to have, because knowing the journey of farmer’s suicide and thereafter how the widow has to survive the onslaught of rural society and life… is beyond any words can ever explain or describe. We (Swapnil and I) have interacted with many such cases and each time, it drains us to jolt from inside and the painful thoughts that lingers for life, are difficult to overcome as we feel so-so helpless.

Late Farmer Subhash Vishwanath Patil, Village Metikheda, Yavatmal

Our Trust – support 4 suicide farmers families, Wardha – is doing our best in a very-very small way to help support such families by sponsoring a girl child of the family with a 7-Year-Recurring Deposit (Rs. 500/- Monthly installment) for higher education. This amount will come in handy for the child when she is ready to enter college to excel in life. Few beautiful angels have been very kind to extend financial support to our Trust for such endeavor. We are grateful to all the beautiful angels, who have come forward to help such families.

Widow Jotsna with her daughter Rohini & son Rohan

Farmer Subhash Vishwanath Patil, 40 years, of Metikheda, district Yavatmal consumed pesticide on 24^th of March 2015, after having struggled in life with multiple problems of life. His eldest son Rohit (12 years) has been constantly ill and suffers from epilepsy since many years. He is not able to take care of self because his brain has also not developed like a 12-year-old. His mother has to constantly take care, be it feeding him meals, bath, clothing. He also cannot see with one eye. His continuous treatment had taken a toll on the family and the loving parents have not given up hope and have taken care of his medical treatment by borrowing money from various sources (bank, self-help group, village moneylenders and relatives).

Widow Jotsna with sons Rohit & Rohan

The world perceives “suicide” as the easy route to end one’s life. On the contrary, committing suicide is not an easy thing. It takes guts to take one’s own life. Even the bravest of the braves, would not even dare to cut one finger with a blade, so think about it and imagine the scenario, how and why a farmer takes that bold step to take his own life.

 

Their one room mud house is in shambles

Their 3-acre land does not have irrigation facilities, so the output of Cotton was barely 3 quintals and 2 bags of Toor Dal for family consumption. With no additional income and mounting debts to the tune of 1.5 lakhs (because of interest), Subhash was in depression since the past one year (as told by relatives). The pressure of life, rural society and humiliation by moneylenders ended one more farmer’s life tragically. What follows after his death is unbearable and hard to digest. Life must go on for widow Jotsna (32 years) with three children to take care of. Frail and accustomed to only farm work, she cannot even leave her two children (Rohit and 3-year Rohan) to go for work. It is heart rendering to know about her survival for existence.

Outside their small house...

Rohit’s monthly treatment (just the medicines and milk) costs the family Rs. 2,000/- to Rs. 3,000/-. Monthly expense of the Jotsna and her three children is another Rs. 4,000/-. And if Rohit suffers, the medical expense escalates drastically. The helpless mother is not able to get his treatment in a better manner because every single test costs money. Since the past few months after her husband’s death, she is being helped by one of her sisters and borrowed money from here and there in village.

Rohini, her daughter is in Class Vth. Rohan, the little one is just three years. Three small children to fend for while there is no sign of any source of income. Her 3-acre land have been leased for Rs. 3,000/- for a year because she cannot cultivate anything without her husband no more by her side. When I asked her how she was managing life, she was speechless and just shook her head. Her mud house is in shambles and disarrayed. I had to control my tears with lots of gumption but deep down I was completely heart broken, shattered and sad. Sad because I feel so helpless for not being able to help her as I would want to.

Through this post, I am also requesting the world to come forward to help support widow Jotsna and her three children, so that she can lead a life that is of little comfort. How she will repay debt of Rs. 1.5 Lakh in her life because the interest keeps mounting and adding.

If there are any “Beautiful Angels” out there, we request them to come forward to contribute in whatever ways – financial support, clothes for 12 year boy – 9 year girl and 3 year boy and their mother. I know, a few will definitely come forward to help us support Jotsna and her children.

Support 4 suicide farmers families, Wardha

A/c No: 0509104000060330

IDBI Bank Wardha

IFSC Code: IBKL0000509

Our registered Trust – support 4 suicide farmers families, Wardha (Regd no: E - 350 (W) – will provide Tax Exemption 80G Certificate to kind donors.

A SMALL PART OF ME

Sold 3 Canvas Prints and earned a little money last month, so here is a small part of my earnings going to the Trust: 

Grateful Sai Baba for everything you have bestowed on me.

NERVOUS BREAKDOWN

Life is predictably unpredictable!

I have had many ‘nervous breakdown’ like everyone else in the world. I will have many more to face before I bid adieu the earth. Each one of us have our own set of problems as destined. Each time I have been down, nature has always inspired the within to make me stand strong to face the unexpected. The only person who will understand the miseries, sorrows, pain and trauma of breaking down in life is the individual, while the world will judge in their own sweet ways with different interpretations.

Life of an orphan is very painful and full of sorrows. However, I must confess that I have been very unfortunate to have never been loved by my own mother. I may never know the real reasons behind her dislike and hatred towards me. I will have to live the rest of my life with this pain and sorrow and be grateful to my destiny. Grateful? Yes, grateful because my destiny has been very kind to have provided me with tremendous amount of love by my friends’ mothers, brothers, sisters, families, friends, beautiful angels, village children, villagers, poor and rich (stars, architects and interior designers) people and even strangers. I am certainly very-very grateful to each one of them for having been ‘the’ part of my destiny. I thank my Sai Baba from the bottom of my heart to bless my destiny in such a wonderful way! I am fortunate to be born unfortunate!

Many a times, when I am all alone, recollecting my past, the emotional side of me yearns for the loving embrace of my mother with all her love. Sadly though, I have never experienced my mother’s love in my life. Tears full of sorrows often become my only companion during such times breaking me down for days, weeks, months and even years. Deep down I know, the yearning will never be fulfilled and I will have to live with the pain forever. I pity my mother’s plight for not having loved me! I know, you all must be wondering why I am writing such a personal post recollecting the pain and sorrows of my past. Deep down, I have been crying uncontrollably since the last few weeks, having sleepless nights and ‘the’ feeling of helplessness lingers my heart. Only an orphan will understand what I am going through. I pray with all my heart to my Sai Baba that HE should never give any ‘nervous breakdown’ to anyone in the world.

When I look back at my destiny, the only thing I think of is to be grateful to my mother for not having loved me. I may have been unfortunate for not been lucky to get my mother’s love but in many ways my destiny became ‘fortunate’. Because of her, the world has showered me with infinite love – be it my priceless friends, friends’ mothers, brothers, sisters, families, beautiful angels, village children, villagers, strangers, poor and rich people! This unselfish love has been responsible to shape up my ‘destiny’ to make me who I am today. I wish to thank each one of you for being ‘the’ wonderful part of my destiny from the bottom of my heart.

The sorrows and sleepless nights will continue for many more weeks, even months and years. I will have to live with it and put in every effort to overcome it in due course of time. It certainly isn’t easy and will not be easy because I am an emotional person by nature. I yearn for the love like everyone else does. Love of one’s own mother is perhaps the most precious ‘love’ anyone can ever describe. Why my own mother has not loved me while my friends’ mothers have showered selfless love to me is indeed hard to understand and fathom. I wish to thank all my friends, who have shown great heart to share the love of their mothers’ love with me with no malaise or envy. Destiny of an individual is hard to decipher. I am clueless!

Daniela Nischik * Alice ferland * Shellie Parkhurst * Judy Short McDowell * Sue Bullock * Suzan Zoey Jacobs * Elise Phillips * Angela McKay * Frederique de Cayeux * Yovonne Scarlett * Julie Jensen * Catherine Ritlaw * Laura Snyder Klutey * Charlene Abeita * Eva Jasmin A Canazares * Laure Aubert * Nia Ly * Mandy Rukwa * Claudette Gravel *Lyd Heide * Kira Molkeir * Anuradha Shukla Vajpeyi * Morgan Griffith * Kellie Gorosh * Hacha C Norris * Marlene Moretti * Toni Crawford --- One will wonder these are some of my wonderful Facebook friends, who were more disturbed to know I was on a ‘nervous breakdown’. Few of them kept writing me personal mails to keep enquiring about my condition. I have no words to describe how emotional their ‘LOVE’ made me through this tough time. I wish to thank each one of them for loving me, even without having met me in person. They are from all over the world. Sai Baba bless you all my dear-dear friends and I love you all from the abyss of my heart.

Then there are amazing friends like Satpal Singh * Preet * Saowalak * Jojosan * Ashish Prakash * Swapnil Barai * Agith Antony * Surendra Singh * Raju Mishra * Palak Jha * Dr. Pavan Patrick * Vipula Bhargava Kumar * Vishu Gurram * Pavan Verma * Alka Arora --- who have given me all kinds of words of wisdom to come out of my nervous breakdown and keep my morale high. They keep in touch regularly and try to cheer my mood swing. I feel blessed to have such amazing friends, who have cared for me all these years. I am truly-truly grateful to my Sai Baba for having blessed my ‘Destiny’ with such beautiful angelic friends. Sai Baba bless you all my beautiful friends. My heart is filled with emotions, emotions that I can never describe in words.

How long this ‘nervous breakdown’ will last? I really don’t know. I am putting in my best efforts to overcome it but…

My “Journey of Destiny” will continue as we have no choice but to move forward. The pain, sorrows, miseries and trauma will continue to haunt all my life. I will have to live with them all by myself. All I can do is to be grateful to my destiny and everyone who has touched my life with their angelic ways to make me a better person instead of turning me into a sadist. I know my Sai Baba will always be by my side to provide the strength to face the unexpected and guide me towards the right path. Sai Baba I feel blessed for being guided by YOU towards the right path.

My commitment towards the farmers’ community will never diminish till my life is able to help them in whatever small ways I can with the help of beautiful angels. My weakness of being emotional has made me a stronger individual to face more such obstacles destiny has thrown and will throw at me. I feel blessed in true sense for being the chosen one to face all such obstacles. Trust me, many will never even think in the wildest of their dreams, forget about daring enough to take the ‘Journey of my Destiny’.

The ‘Journey of Destiny’ continues…