Parimal and Trupti Desai run an organization called Sarvodaya Charitable Trust that has come to the aid of quake- and riot-affected children in Gujarat. It has provided them food and shelter, and helped them piece together their shattered lives. Parimalbhai wrote us this letter about the response he received from civil society after his work was featured on The India of India episode.
"Greetings from the Sarvodaya Charitable Trust in Surat!
The week after the The Idea of India episode was telecast, we had received quite a few phone calls from the people known to us and those who never knew we existed. The latter, somehow, managed to get our telephone number. We also received emails and messages on social media networks from across India and the world. Quite a few people, mostly from Surat, visited our institute and many said they never knew that work of such high calibre was being done in their neighborhood, city and region.
A builder and his colleagues from Mumbai struggled a lot to get our contact details and after they found our number, visited us in Surat and expressed the desire to carry out similar charitable activities in their hometown in Kutch district.
Two women from Delhi—a retired university professor and a school principal came down to Surat because they felt that they had to appreciate the work we were doing. They are Sikh and had lived through the agony of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi.
A few organizations, trusts and individuals approached us and offered to provide us some sort of financial support. However, with humility we requested them to contribute to new entrants in the field of charitable activities and even accompanied them to see the work of these organizations in rural Gujarat. They also offered food to the deprived children at our school.
Besides this, people took small steps as well. Some people have stopped celebrating their own and their children's birthday parties and instead, donate money to organizations working in rural areas.
Satyamev Jayate is the most meaningful TV programme we have come across in our lives. We hope the Satyamev Jayate family brings out more such episodes, which can improve the moral, cultural and spiritual fabric of India.
- Parimal Desai and family