DHARWAD: Quenching the thirst of visually challenged people and offering them juice free of cost is this juice shop owner’s small and well-intended gesture to give back to society.
Krishna Nayak, who runs his juice centre on University Road in Kalyan Nagar of Dharwad, says he was inspired by visually challenged Hindustani and Carnatic vocalist, late Puttaraj Gawai. A proponent of Gwalior Gharana, Gawai had set up a theatre company to raise funds to provide free food, shelter and education to differently-abled orphans.
Krishna Nayak, a master degree holder in physical education, elaborates philosophically, “Everyone wants to earn money, but it is necessary to pay back to society too. People should render service according to their abilities without expecting any returns or rewards.”
He says, “I announced the free service for the visually challenged persons considering their financial condition. But of nearly 15 such people who visited my juice centre, many paid saying they have government jobs.”
However, many criticised him when he started this service, asking how he would identify visually challenged people. “But my intentions are good and I may be losing just 5 per cent of my profit,” he added.