To celebrate the month of love, a Kolkata-based organisation has been reaching out to deprived children and lonely elders in and around Kolkata.
Since the start of February, the group has been to more than a dozen places, mostly shelters for children and homes for senior citizens.
The Samaritans are going with sweets, chocolates, dry groceries, generic medicines, books, pencils, crayons and new clothes.
Last Friday, the group visited a home for children at Harindanga near Canning in South 24-Parganas district. The shelter, titled Saksham, has around 30 children, mostly orphans. Not only did the children get the gifts, they were also in for a special treat, a movie.
With the help of a projector, a “mini-theatre” was set up. The children saw Taare Zameen Par, the Aamir Khan starrer.
“Valentine’s Day is a day of love, joy, expectations, gifts and more. Many people look forward to this day to get loved and share their love with their near and dear ones. But we seldom peep outside our world, where love often means privilege,” said Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, chairman of the group behind the drive.
The charitable organisation was instrumental in providing hot meals to tens of thousands of underprivileged people during the pandemic. It also ran a free oxygen distribution campaign at the peak of Covid that saved many lives.
In the post-pandemic world, the work has not stopped. The foundation distributed blankets among the homeless on the pavements of Kolkata in December and January.
As part of the February drive, the foundation went to around 15 places, from homes in Kulpi and Diamond Harbour in South 24-Parganas to Behala Parnasree and Amherst Street in southwest and north Kolkata, respectively.
At another home for children in Piyali, also in South 24-Parganas, the group screened Gadar. “We are showing films wherever it is possible,” said a volunteer.
“The stories these kids had to tell were heartbreaking. If we can play a part in showing them the right path while bringing smiles to their faces, that’s the best way we could spend our Valentine’s Day.”