Spreading compassion through various projects
It was a chance encounter during her duty for the NGO Sanghadip that led Payal Shil, president of RAC Dharmanagar, RID 3240, to meet 14-year-old Binay Das, a spirited young boy fighting cerebral palsy and locomotive disorder. She learned that Binay’s education was at stake as he couldn’t be carried from home to school and back by his mother.
Recalling their interaction, Payal says, “He had a wonderful smile on his face and was able to respond and understand what we were talking. When his mother mentioned that he wouldn’t be able to go to school, his smile vanished. I wanted to help him continue school.”
Moved with “a desire to make a difference,” Payal shared Binay’s story with her team during a club meeting. Utilising her own funds, she purchased a wheelchair costing ₹6,000 and, through the club, donated it to Binay. “It was a moment of pure empathy,” she says, adding that she also wanted to “set an example for our club members and encourage them to step forward and contribute to causes that resonate with them.”
To guarantee clean and safe drinking water for the students at Sri Sri Gyan Mandir in Tripura, the club donated two water filters worth ₹5,000. “The school authorities thanked and informed us that the funds saved from the school budget will now be redirected towards purchasing educational material for rural students,” smiles Payal.
Led by project chair Sandip Kumar Dey, all members of the club have pledged to donate their eyes. “This initiative was undertaken with the dual intentions of contributing to the noble cause of eye donation and raising awareness about its importance, to inspire others to consider pledging their eyes,” says Dey.
