A woman who turned 75 on June 19 did not host a party to celebrate the occasion.

Shakuntala Lakhotia, instead, turned up at St Xavier’s College on Monday to give an ambulance to the institution.

Lakhotia, from Lake Town, would have gifted the ambulance worth Rs 9 lakh on her birthday itself. Son Sanjay said the handover had to be deferred because the manufacturing company could deliver the ambulance only on July 5.

“As she completed 75 this June, we were getting ready to throw a big party to make the occasion a memorable one. But my mother had some other ideas. She advised us to desist from wasting resources on hosting a party during the pandemic and suggested we find a way to make a contribution to an institution that has a history of carrying out philanthropic work,” said Sanjay. “She herself proposed that an ambulance be donated amid these trying times”.

Many in the extended family of the Lakhotias, who run businesses over the years, have studied at the Park Street college.

A homemaker throughout her life, Lakhotia told Metro: “This is not the time to host a lavish party. We see how people are suffering around us because they lack resources. After the Covid outbreak, getting an ambulance for a Covid patient or any other patient became so difficult. So I thought it was time to do something to help those in distress in whatever little way possible."

She arrived at the college on Monday with son Sanjay and other family members.

A small event was held on the quadrangle of the college in the afternoon.

“We have earlier received donations in the form of funds, scholarships. But never have we received a donation like this. It is unusual. She sacrificed her celebrations. I just hope what she has done becomes a precedent. We want many more Shakuntala Lakhotias to help fellow citizens,” Father Dominic Savio, the principal of the college, told Metro on Wednesday.

“Many of our students, from the college and the school, and staff come from economically weaker sections. During a health emergency, they cannot afford the cost of hiring an ambulance. They will benefit with this contribution. If required, we will make the service available to outsiders as well.”