Diwali, the festival of lights, has just passed by. But the celebrations this year have been markedly different from earlier years- the biggest reason being the dark clouds of Covid 19 that hover overall, whether rich or poor, under or over-privileged, men or women. As India became the second most affected country in the world, many families suffered deaths, loss of jobs, and businesses, as also mental. But while many people (those with resources, no doubt) were seen celebrating Diwali, the less privileged lot found it hard to bring even a smile to their lips.
It is for the sake of this second group of people that some civil servants decided to do something. Many of the officers went beyond the call of duty and celebrated the festival with the distressed. From joining with poor and tribal people to aiding 100-odd orphans, these bureaucrats have excelled in their duty of serving the public. Here are examples of three such bureaucrats who found happiness in making someone else’s Diwali delightful this year.
CELEBRATING DIWALI WITH THE POOR
The first example comes from the state of Rajasthan, where an IAS officer was seen celebrating the festival with road-side broom sellers and poor people, spreading the message of crackers free Diwali. Mr. Abhishek Surana, the SDO and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Chomu in Rajasthan entered the good books of the public as well as the administration for going out of his way to help the underprivileged. He could be seen distributing sweets to them.
At first, on Diwali day, when Mr. Surana approached the people on roadside in his official vehicle, they were visibly afraid and anxious. However, after observing the generous nature of the officer, the people were pleased to receive sweets from him. The smile among the faces of children and other people must have made the day of Mr. Surana and other officials of the district.
Not only this, Mr. Surana had a social message to share with the people of Chomu. As Covid19 is at its peak and has already harmed the country to a great extent, he appealed to all to celebrate crackers free Diwali and also ensured that the regulation was adhered to by the district administration.
BRINGING HAPPINESS TO THE TRIBALS IN JHARKHAND
Another example comes from the Koderma district of Rajasthan, where IAS officer Mr. Ramesh Gholap celebrated Diwali with the people of the Birhor tribe. These Adivasi forest people are mostly found in the state of Jharkhand and are traditionally nomadic.
Mr. Gholap, along with his wife, visited the primitive tribe community and distributed sweets, blankets, and study material to the children. Tweeting a message on Diwali day, he said that all of them ate home-made sweets and cherished the auspicious festival. Dispelling the darkness on the festival of lights, Mr. Gholap indeed brought smiles among many faces.
This is not the first time, Mr. Gholap has been at the forefront of helping underprivileged people of his district. Days before Diwali, he reached out to local artists and potters of Koderma and purchased `diyas’ (earthen lamps) worth Rs 1 lakh from them.
REACHING OUT TO THE ORPHANS
Apart from celebrating the festival with the poor and tribal, another IAS officer thought it fit to reach out to the orphaned children of his district. A day prior to Diwali, the District Collector of Banaskantha in Gujarat, Mr. Anand went to a school where he distributed sweets, clothes, and crackers to the orphans. There, he also announced a scheme to provide aid of Rs 3,000 every month to 102 orphans.
