MAHARASHTRA : Little did Sandeep Mane, officer on special duty at the Revenue ministry of Maharashtra, know that losing his home in land acquisition for a national highway project when he was child in Satara would lead him to support people in need of clothes, food, lamps and education now.
“When the Nisarga cyclone hit Konkan region of Maharashtra in 2022, we were the first to extend all possible help. The government does help, but there are some aspects of the cyclone aftermath or any calamity affected people that no one understands and do not fit in the government’s schemes as well. That’s where we step in,” said the 45-year-old.
“In this cyclone, the trees had snapped and fallen, while the electricity poles were also damaged, resulting in indefinite power cut. In many parts of Konkan, there was no electricity for more than 15 days while some parts faced blackout for months. There was massive damage all around. We swung into action and used all our resources in Mumbai and Pune, and collected kerosene lamps and dispatched them to Konkan. The demand was so huge that we soon faced a shortage of kerosene lamps. Then, we had to send candles to people to light up their houses at night,” Mane recalled.
Mane said he and his team do not work to take credit for such social work, but they work as a link between the needy and those who want to help them.“In my experience, there are many donors and people who genuinely want to help, but they do not know the right platform. We just work as a platform. Being government officials, we are resourceful people. The only thing is these resources should be properly utilized for the society. We are happy that our energy has been used for the welfare of the society,” Mane said.
“When we were providing temporary shelters, some people who had lost everything in the flood were ashamed to ask for clothes. So, we stepped in and counselled them. People have very different needs that we get to know easily because of our ground connection and bonding with the local people. We have also tied up with some NGOs. There is no shortage of resources at our end to attend to people’s needs,” he said. Mane said they also supply study material for the civil services aspirants. “In rural areas, there are as many bright students who can excel in civil exams, but they do not have proper guidance and not enough study material to pursue their dreams,” he added.
Not only education, and rehabilitation, Mane also at times works as a marriage counsellor. “I sometimes play the role of agony aunt. We do counseling for couples who are in distress and their marriage is on the verge of breaking apart. We patiently listen to the couples and try to calm them down. In this digital age, we are connected to each other and the world literally comes together, but it is hard to find someone really close with whom we can share our feelings and open our minds. There are some people who come to meet just to open their mind and share their problems. Some time, we also do match making by bringing together like minded people,” Mane said.
He said being positive is important in life when there is so much negativity around you. “We should spread the good and positive vibes. Life is very delicate and has to be handled carefully. I am happy that I am not only helping the poor, needy people but also saving marriages and even doing matchmaking jobs as well,” Mane said, wearing multiple hats in life.