WEST BENGAL : Despite her rather modest salary, Kalpana Guha (64), a caretaker and Group D employee at a private international school, does everything she can to support the less fortunate in her community with whatever her means can sustain.
“My salary is meager, but I have will and determination to help the poor. I have always been this way. I grew up helping others, regardless of my financial situation,” she said.
Kalpana, a widow, has a son who works as a helper in a private water filter company. A resident of Ichhapur in North 24 Parganas, Guha dedicates her efforts to helping underprivileged children in her area lead better lives.
She recalls an incident from her childhood when she found an abandoned 1.5-year-old child near her home who was crying incessantly. After searching for the child’s parents and finding no one, she was overcome with compassion and decided to pick him up. Not only did she console the baby, but she also decided to take him home, paying no heed to the possible consequences. When she arrived, her family admonished her for bringing the infant home and insisted that she hand him over to the police.
However, a determined Kalpana refused to give in. Instead, she chose to hand the baby over to a childless couple in her community who were desperate to raise him.
After receiving the baby, the couple went to the police station to complete the necessary formalities and took on the responsibility of raising him. “Today, that child is working in a private organisation and has received the best guidance from his parents. Had I given in to my relatives’ demands then, this child might have been left to die on the street,” Kalpana reflected.
“I am not very privileged myself. I need financial help to set up an NGO, but my earnings from this small organisation are limited. From my meager salary, I do whatever I can for underprivileged children. If I receive government assistance or anyone else, I could establish my NGO on a larger scale and help even more needy children,” she says.
She believes that more people should come forward to get involved in social causes, as many individuals need support to lead a respectable life. “Whenever there is a crisis in the community, people turn to me for help, and I do my best to provide assistance,” Guha added.