Bhubaneswar: Stories of people going out of their way, during the lockdown, to help the needy have been reported from across the country. But very few can match the energy and generosity of Odisha’s Chhayarani Sahu.
A farmer by profession and social worker by passion, Chhayarani has helped poor and distressed of at least 15 villages in Basudevpur area of Bhadrak during the lockdown period. Her efforts still continue post-lockdown as she distributes self-grown vegetables free-of-cost to the needy people.
It is not as easy as it might sound for a 57-year-old woman to move out for social work during a pandemic. However, Chhayarani’s family fully supported her endeavour.
They make packets containing, brinjal, tomato, chilli, onion and few other vegetables such as pumpkin and lady’s finger. With the help of her two sons and few volunteers, she moves in a van to help the needy.
Apart from being a farmer for over 20 years, Chhayarani is also into dairy farming. She and her team have also helped COVID warriors during the lockdown period with milk packets.
Her husband, Sarbeswar Sahu takes care of farming and runs the milk society in their native Kuruda village of Basudevpur. “He has been the hidden force behind all my efforts,” she said.
Chhayarani is also active on Twitter with daily updates on her handle @ChhayaraniSahu. Her noble efforts have garnered praises from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who had Tweeted:
“Appreciation for Chhayarani Sahu of Bhadrak who distributes vegetables free of cost in 15 villages in the district. Her generosity will inspire others to stand by each other during this unprecedented crisis. #OdishaCares”
“I feel a sense of satisfaction in involving myself in farming activities and helping people. During the shutdown and lockdown, people were in great difficulty. People were not getting vegetables. Therefore we decided to distribute the produce to the needy,” said Chhayarani.