By Bipin Sharma
Having carved a niche for himself as a Social Crusader, Political Activist & a successful Entrepreneur, Rakesh Kumar Sonkar has made a definitive mark as a “Gem of a Samaritan” all thanks to his tireless endeavour of feeding countless stomachs in the last three years.
For someone who wears many hats, Sonkar emerged as a “Corona Hunger Crusader” during the Lockdown phase when he and his team of volunteers worked assiduously on ground zero to ensure that no one remained empty stomach during the Pandemic.
Realizing that a substantial population were without their daily livelihood, and a regular source of income to sustain themselves, Sonkar accepted the gauntlet, and got going on a war footing note. He procured various food items, and then meticulously executed a “safe distribution plan” to deliver the food packets to the needy ones, strictly adhering to all the safety norms and protocols of Covid. Equally remarkable was his role in arranging oxygen and medical facility for the needy ones during the second spell of Covid in 2021.
For someone who firmly believes in “Sewa Parmo Dharma”, Sonkar is always in the forefront when it comes to organizing Bhandara’s on any momentous occasion round the year.
Sharing more on the same, Sonkar, the Samaritan says, “My Mission is to serve the humanity and the Nation. We are all dreaming of a “Naya Bharat” which is possible only when every citizen will play a substantial role in “Nation Building” as well as towards Humanity. With the blessings of Kalka Maa, I felt an inner calling during the Lockdown phase to play the role of a “Hunger Crusader” as Covid was wreaking havoc. We delivered nutritious food as well as medicines to countless people including numerous Covid positive patients and their families. Realizing that the impact of second Covid wave on “lives and livelihood” was more severe than the first Covid wave of 2020, our team of volunteers braced themselves up for the bigger challenge, and got going on ground zero from day one. Much like the outbreak of the Covid virus in 2020, the surge of the virus in 2021 took us by a storm. As a result, we realized that the challenge too was manifold. Since most of the people who had tested positive were unable to cook food at home, and were restricted from stepping outside their homes for buying medicines, our team of dedicated volunteers delivered home cooked food as well as medicines free of cost to all such needy ones. Senior citizens comprised a substantial segment of people that we reached out to, in those challenging times. Our first and foremost priority was to extend a helping hand to senior citizens who were staying alone without their children. Then our focus was on providing food and medicines to those below the poverty line and the migrant labourers. We were all aware that every team member had to play their role dedicatedly if we were to help the large number of sick and the needy ones around us. We feel truly blessed that we got a chance to work relentlessly for Humanity. Our team played a significant role in spreading awareness among the underprivileged segments of the society about the pertinence of following social distancing norms. Extraordinary circumstances often bring along with them extraordinary strength and resilience . ..and help ordinary beings evolve into extraordinary Heroes. Kalka Mata Devotees have in their own special way etched their names as True “Champions of Humanity”. My role model has been my late father Sh. Jagdish Chander Sonkar who was a true Philanthropist of his times, and initiated this tradition of inviting people from all walks of life on major festivals. As a visionary who was way ahead of his times, my father always stood for the cause of the poor and the needy persons. I am extremely grateful to our Hon’ble MP Meenakshi Lekhi for being a great pillar of support and inspiration to all of us in the last three years especially.
Frankly speaking, when we started the Bhandara sewa in 2020, we were unsure about how long we would be able to continue with our endeavour. It takes immense pleasure to share that our Bhandara Sewa has been continuing unabated in the premises of Pracheen MahaKali Mandir in Kotla till date even though normal life has been restored post Covid. I firmly believe that the spirit of humanity should never stop, and this is the reason why I have decided to continue the humanitarian Sewa for the rest of my life. I attribute all this to the Divine Blessings of Maa Kali who has given us the strength and grit to continue with our noble mission sans any break, for all irrespective of their caste, creed or religion.”
Sonkar has also been an integral part of numerous blood donation camps, and more importantly been organizing annual mass wedding of poor and needy girls.
Going by his sheer passion, nobleness and “never say never die” zeal, Sonkar is not just winning countless hearts, but is all set to scale new heights in times to come!!
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