When a freedom fighter abandoned by his family died at a home for the elderly, his son did not have time to perform the last rites.
KOLHAPUR: When a freedom fighter abandoned by his family died at a home for the elderly in Kolhapur, his son did not have time to perform the last rites. Nevertheless, he was eager to collect the death certificate. This is just one of the many accounts of ungratefulness, greed, neglect and abuse of the elderly that reverberates at Kolhapur's Matoshri Vriddhashram, a home for the aged.
What is remarkable about this place is that it was started by a peon at the Gujarati high school here. A man of humble means, 54-year-old Shivajiro Patole did not start with any grand plans. Yet, his resolve to selflessly help the elderly and protect their dignity has been supported by common folks and rich philanthropists alike.
Honoured with the "Kolhapur Bhushan" award by the municipal corporation last year, Patole's dream of providing good accommodation to the aged will become a reality on April 21 with the inauguration of a well-equipped building for 50 people, constructed at a cost of Rs 27 lakh. "Muscat-based architect Arun Shirgaokar and his father, Nilkantrao, visited Matoshri last monsoon and were moved on seeing the leaking roofs and donated Rs 6 lakh towards a new building. Aid for the building came from other philanthropists and common people too," Patole told TOI.