- For Laxmikant Shirke, self-pity was never an option after he lost his left foot and right hand in an accident, a decade ago. A veteran from the Maratha Regiment, he took voluntary retirement in 1996 and worked at Bhilai Steel Plant in Maharashtra. Everything was going well, until 2011, when he lost his balance while boarding a train and lost his limbs in the accident. However, being in the Army for years Shirke learned to fight back. “How could I ever accept defeat? Despite my family and relatives opposing my choice to drive, I decided to give it a shot.”, he said. Shirke broke the earlier world record held by the Australian physically challenged man Javier Stephens of driving 25,000 km in 2016. He later created a new world record of driving a total of 1.26 lakh km. He won five car rallies organized in Raipur. “I look forward to being a part of the endurance drive car rally for the disabled from Kanyakumari to Dehradun.”Shirke performs his daily routine works without the prosthesis fitted.
- Civil Services aspirant Archie Sen has been feeding more than 200 dogs every day since the lockdown last year. She has not only fed them but also made sure that they’re vaccinated and dewormed as well. She started with only 2-3 dogs of her locality as a hobby, but gradually their number started increasing day by day and now she is feeding more than 200 dogs on a daily basis. She has also put more than 50 water pots for dogs at different locations and put reflective collar belts on more than 150 dogs to prevent them from accidents. To fund her cause, Archie has created a social media page- ‘Street Dogs of Ranchi’ asking people to donate for the welfare of street dogs which actually worked and several animal lovers came forward to help due to which she is able to feed so many dogs. They may not necessarily donate cash, but also provide dog food, vaccines, multi-vitamins, collar belts, and other related things. What a wonderful initiative by this Civil Services aspirant!
- A 21-year-old rule was amended and an order issued by the Railway Board on May 25, now allows Railway employees to get medical care to all adopted children at par with the biological ones. Veena Nayak, a single woman who works as office superintendent in the engineering department of Bengaluru Railway Division, had adopted a boy and girl, now aged 14 and 13 respectively. She took up the cause on behalf of one of her kids in June 2020, and it has borne fruit a year later. There are 37,000 families across South Western Railway which are covered by hospitals. “It will be a big motivation to railway employees hesitant to adopt more children,” a senior official from the Railway said.
- Chase Poust, a year old swam for over an hour to help save his family who was stranded after they got swept in a wave after a fishing trip went wrong. He was boating with his father Steven and his four-year-old sister Abigail on the St. John’s River in Jacksonville, Florida. The kids swam about the boat while their father fished. Then Abigail, who was wearing a life jacket, got caught in the current of the river. “The current was so strong that my sister—she usually hangs out at the back of the boat and—she let go so I let go of the boat and grabbed her and then I was stuck,” Chase Poust. Then his father instructed Chase to swim and find immediate help. So, he swam to the closest house to go for rescue, just like his father had told him to and it took him over an hour. Florida Fish and Wildlife crews were able to find the man and his daughter quickly, thanks to the prompt response of the neighbor Proust found to call 911. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson Eric Prosswimmer said they “couldn’t ask for a better outcome.” Cheers to Chase and his spirit!
- The voluntary service is the brainchild of a local social worker, Hongnao Konyak. He had earlier mobilized five others through Facebook. “After the five people desired to extend the service, we shared our numbers through the social media. We will extend the service as and when required. We have named our group The Civic Wheels,” he said. Affee Venkanshu, the 35-year-old cancer survivor who is also a part of the group said she had offered the service to four people on Monday, the first day of the drive. Phelem Naam, the only pastor in Mon district, said she had been giving such service to the elderly people for a while. The volunteers decided to help the people of Mon town because conveyance stood in the way in the absence of much-needed public transport. They stood up in times like these to support their community.
- A former child refugee who arrived in the UK, unable to speak English then has now graduated with an architecture degree. Salman Khan, now 25, fled war torn Afghanistan as a boy and began a six-month journey through snow and mountains. He was 12 years old when he was found walking next to a UK motorway and taken to a foster care in Leicestershire. Salman believes that it was his dream to build schools in Afghanistan because he said, “It’s a war torn country and someone has to build it. This is the reason why I chose to study architecture.” After leaving his family in Afghanistan and travelling with strangers, he spent a few weeks in temporary care before being given a foster family in Blaby, Leicestershire. Salman lives in Uppingham, Rutland, said he was inspired to work hard by his foster family. He now supports the work of Place To Call Home, a regional campaign led by Leicestershire County Council to recruit foster carers to support young refugees in the East Midlands. More power to you Salman!
- 6-year-old boy sells Pokémon card collection to save his dog6-year-old boy sells Pokémon card collection to save his dog. The initial goal of the page was to only make $800 for the dog’s treatment. But now, the page has earned $5,490. Bryson’s decision to part with his prized possession reached the Pokémon headquarters in Bellevue. Touched by the gesture of the 8-year-old boy, company officials gifted him some rare cards that are expensive and hard to find. An 8-year-old boy from the US has been gifted a rare collection of Pokemon cards because of his kind act that moved netizens and company officials. Bryson Kliemann, a die-hard Pokémon fan, had a huge collection of Pokémon cards. But he decided to sell his prized possession to save his pet dog, Bruce. According to a local news channel, Bryson’s dog was suffering from a contagious virus and needed immediate treatment. As the family couldn’t afford to pay $700 for the treatment, Bryson decided to sell his Pokemon cards by setting up a stand outside his home. He also erected a sign on a piece of wood panelling, hoping people in his neighbourhood would notice it. “While I’m in school I get a text message with a picture of him and a sign on the side of the road selling Pokémon cards,” said his mother, Kimberly. Moved by his efforts, the mother started da GoFundMe page and highlighted the problems the family was facing. “My babies puppy is very sick. He has been diagnosed with parvo. I know I have been raising him right. With a heart of gold because he’s so worried about our bruce he is beside the road trying to sell his favorite thing in the world just to make his puppy better,” the mother wrote on the GoFundMe page.
Stay tuned for more good news next week.
Until then, stay safe and stay indoors.
To read last week’s round-up click here.
