On Deepavali someone special turned up and helped us complete this target. May these lamps glow bright and continue to light those whose glow has dimmed. The festival is just the beginning of something far reaching that we are all embracing and becoming a part of. One little circle came alight and shone - more such circles of lamps will link themselves and girdle the world in a circle of light.
We made the full amount of 45000 INR!
Thanks to FB's anti-notes policy that they finally implemented I can't update the last note with the latest figure so I have put this up as a temporary post here to be deleted once we make the target.
A tiny little amount of 3000 INR remains to meet the collection target of 45000 INR. We are almost there thanks to the enormous generosity of friends. Now a few(or several) tiny diyas can come alight together to bring this to life in the spirit of Deepavali. You can read the history of this fundraiser on this link
The Sailesh Vision Project - 2020 which has been archived.
From the 9 November Update - after posting this the amount remaining fell to 3000 INR.
Most of you would have read the details of the case of Plumber/Craftsman Extraordinaire Sailesh. Thanks to an outpouring of love and support we were able to raise enough for his initial injection and funds have been steadily flowing in. His second injection has also been administered and there will be a few weeks of followup treatment. He is feeling better and is deeply grateful to all those who came forward with monetary contribution, healing thoughts and in numerous other ways. All we need now is 5000 INR to meet the total 45000 INR targeted amount and I know it will come in. Join me in wishing him Godspeed on his journey back to active life. I know many people want to be part of this and are wondering if there is any minimum amount of contribution. No there isn’t. We are grateful for amounts like 50 and 100 because we know how drops of water add up to the whole. We are grateful for every little act of love that added tremendous energy to the mission and actually helped with healing. And I also take this chance to thank all you wonderful people for helping somebody somewhere in these distressing times. I know the tireless work so many have done. My wishes and also Sailesh’s to all those givers and those blessed to receive.
PS - the note probably won't be accessible so here are the contents.
Sailesh, 65, a plumber and mistri by profession has been my friend and a pillar of unwavering support through thick and thin, including COVID and Amphan. My flat is in a 95 year old building riddled with problems created by irresponsible neighbors, chief among these being the man-made leaks that the ceiling and walls periodically sprout. The power of his wizardry in fixing these leaks as well as his ability to handle the harassers, in addition to his huge heart and readiness to rush to the rescue, sometimes several times a day, cemented our friendship. He was in pretty good shape despite having a slight problem with an eye that had been operated on for a cataract. That eye subsequently lost vision and he was managing pretty well on one. A traumatic episode in which he suddenly lost vision completely in his other eye in 2019 ended well thanks to the eye department of Calcutta Medical College that restored the vision through a series of procedures over a couple of months. Now his vision is failing him a second time and it breaks my heart as his eye hospital has been converted into a Covid ward since the past seven months and he has been denied the follow up treatments that were to continue for a year.
Sailesh is passionate about heritage and loves a chance to do restoration work. Though a plumber by profession, he is a man of many talents. In the cover picture he can be seen working his magic in a section of my flat that was being inundated by leaks. The photo below shows him holding up a copper Lakshmi he is in the process of polishing. Many of my friends have heard of him and some have met him in person and interacted with him at length. Someone who was so full of energy, not to speak of talent, now fumbles to walk a short distance and it hurts to see him grope his way around.
While out on a chore near his home, he had a chance encounter with an old customer of his who was startled to see him groping his way down the street. He promptly took him to an eye specialist in the area and has been taking care of the consultation and testing fees. That specialist has concluded (rightly IMO, going by what I know of his history in the Medical College Eye Dept) that Sailesh needs a couple of injections in an operation to restore his vision, and the cost of administering these is 45,000 INR.
Sailesh is not supported by his son and his wife is encumbered by mental health issues, a sorrowful reality among the families of many such friends who help us in our day to day lives as him. Being a freelancer in my sixties staying alone in Kolkata, I feel helpless as I am unable to support and rescue him from his plight, whereas he saved me and my home from several disasters including the aftermath of Amphan. I will be extremely grateful to one and all Good Samaritans who can come forward in extending their monetary help and sharing this post to help him see again.
Mayalakshmi Rao/Chakra Incognita
Bank details:
Bank details: IFSC Code: CNRB0000153
Canara Bank, L C Road Branch, Kolkata
A/C No 0153101005143 (savings account)
Name: Mayalakshmi Rao
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