Want to be a Daan Veer and spread cheer?

Khushroo Poacha calls himself a serial soulpreneur (a compassionate entrepreneur who touches the hearts of distressed people). “What do I do? I see people suffering, who somehow connect with me and there is an innate urge that drives me to alleviate their pain in whatever possible measure,” he says.
The Covid pandemic introduced Khushroo, a railway employee, to many such despairing souls needing immediate help.Known for his transparent approach (as evident in his previous initiatives indianblooddonors.com, Neki Ka Pitara, Seva Kictchen etc), he has built a network of those ready to extend a helping hand. His latest endeavour is ‘Daan Veer’ (a person who is liberal in generosity).
Khushroo explains: “I started with distributing masks and sanitizers when the pandemic broke out in March. This was followed by distributing food kits in Nagpur, Pandharkawda (Yavatmal) and Melghat (Amravati). In April, I received a phone call from chief minister Uddhav Thackeray acknowledging my efforts to reach out to those left helpless due to lockdown. That phone call saw my mobile number getting circulated in other states as well. The Chhattisgarh government officials started sharing my number with the migrants stuck in Maharashtra. I started helping them to connect with people or NGOs in their vicinity with food, transportation etc.
“Once the migrants’ issue eased, I started receiving requests from all over the country for small financial help for meeting diverse needs like buying medicines, grocery, milk for children, smartphones for e-school, paying electricity bills, conducting funerals and so on. Initially, I declined many requests as they seemed beyond my reach,” he said.
For someone who doesn’t rest until a solution is in sight to alleviate the sufferings of people seeking his help, Khushroo was disappointed. “After many sleepless nights, the thought of letting needy people whom God had connected with me to fend for themselves haunted me. I realized I cannot alone make a difference,” he says.
So, Khushroo tapped his social media network. “About 15 days ago, an idea to share such requests on Facebook struck me. I started sharing stories of the needy and asked my friends to remit small amounts like Rs10/50/100 or as per their wish to these people directly. This clicked and suddenly I found out that these requests were addressed within a day and that’s how the ‘Daan Veer’ initiative was born. For example, a man called up from Thane saying that he and his wife had not eaten for two days and his daughter was being fed rice water. I shared his request on Facebook and within 24 hours he received Rs15,000,” says Khushroo.
An asthmatic woman from Delhi, whose husband was left jobless due to lockdown, wanted Rs2,600 for her daughter’s college fees and for her medicines. She received Rs18,000 in 24 hours. Similarly a girl from Nagpur wanted a sewing machine as her mentally ill father had left the house and mother was bedridden. Her request was taken care of within five minutes. A Jalna boy needed money for his mother’s treatment for kidney ailment. Within 24 hours of posting his request, he received Rs16,000. Khushroo, who even got a call from Chennai, has many such stories to narrate.
About a week ago, he formed a dedicated WhatsApp group and the members do their bit by contributing directly to the recipient’s account whenever a request comes in. The group has 60 members.
The latest request came from one Ravina Pappu Jadhav, 25, a farm widow from Pandharkawda, on Thursday. Her husband committed suicide due to crop failure and heavy debts. The land and house is mortgaged and she was on the brink of starvation. Their house collapsed due to heavy rain and she needed urgent help for healthcare of elderly mother-in-law and education of her 8-year-old daughter. Khushroo posted the request on the WhatsApp group at 5.30pm and in 24 hours, the Dan Veers contributed Rs48,551.
“I will be happy if Daan Veer is able to help even one person every day. The key aspect of the initiative is that money goes directly into the beneficiary’s account. We don’t intend to do big amounts but small amounts with love,” he says.
And what makes this initiative unique is that neither the ‘Daan Veer’ nor the recipient is known to each other. However, Khushroo ensures a confirmation that the needy person has received the required help and is elated when the recipient expresses gratitude to their faceless benefactors.
The amounts are small and those who contribute don’t feel the pinch. Small contributions make up a substantial amount for the beneficiary, he says. While many contribute out of compassion, there are some who wanted to know if the money was landing in the hands of people who actually need it.
“A person called up questioning the authenticity of those making the requests. I only said that if one starts being judgemental, one cannot do any good. Each one of us can make a difference in someone’s life. People are connected to you for a reason and you respond. The universe connects,” says Khushroo.
(Khushroo Poacha, a TOI Nagpur Hero awardee, can be contacted on 9561011264)