MADHYA PRADESH: In the heart of Indore, a young man who once yearned for the warmth of a complete family now finds himself at the centre of an extraordinary family of 78 grandparents. This is the story of Yash Parashar, a 31-year-old businessman whose life’s journey from hardship to philanthropy has touched countless lives across Madhya Pradesh.
Yash, a successful stockbroker and entrepreneur, runs a firm that provides electricity solutions for new residential colonies in Indore. But beyond his business success, it is his work with the Raktmitra India Foundation and the Nirashrit Seva Ashram that has truly defined his life.
Over the past 15 years, Yash, alongside an army of 8,000 voluntary blood donors, has saved countless lives through timely blood donations to patients in urgent need. The Raktmitra India Foundation, founded by Yash in 2011, began as a small social media initiative and has grown into a lifesaving network across Madhya Pradesh.
“We started the Raktmitra blood donation platform via social media in 2011,” Yash recalls. “It gradually became a big group of voluntary blood donors spread all across MP. We currently have an army of around 8,000 blood donors, who’ve saved countless lives in the last 15 years.”
But Yash’s passion for helping others extends beyond blood donation. His childhood, marked by the rocky marriage of his parents and the subsequent separation, left him longing for the comfort of a complete family, especially the love of grandparents.
Raised by his single mother, Prerna Parashar, who shouldered the dual responsibility of both parents, Yash often wondered why he didn’t have a big family. His mother’s words, “You’ll make the family big one day,” stayed with him.
In 2014, Yash’s longing for a larger family was unexpectedly fulfilled when he encountered an 85-year-old destitute woman, Noor Bai, starving on the roadside in Indore. Moved by her plight, Yash brought her home and convinced his mother to take care of her. This act of kindness marked the beginning of an extended family Yash never imagined.
As Yash sought help for Noor Bai on social media, he discovered numerous other elderly individuals in desperate need of care. This realization inspired him and his friends to establish the Nirashrit Seva Ashram, a home for destitute elderly people.
Starting with just Noor Bai and four others in a rented house, the Ashram has grown into a haven for 78 elderly individuals, aged between 61 and 105 years.
The Ashram, located in western Indore on a piece of land leased by the Indore Municipal Corporation, occupies a space once home to abandoned bungalows built in 1925 during the British era. The home now comprises 10 rooms and 3 large halls, some of which are makeshift spaces under tin sheds. Among the 78 residents are 26 bedridden elderly individuals, including the youngest, 61-year-old Suman Amma, and the oldest, 105-year-old Kamla Amma.
Yash and his close-knit group of friends and associates, including his mentor and business partner Shyam Songara, farmer Virendra Kewat, pharmaceutical official Pankaj Ahirwar, businessman Manish Nigam, and gas agency owner Hemlata Ojha, along with 150 other contributors, pool together `3.5 -4 lakh every month to ensure that the elderly residents have a comfortable and dignified life.
“Aiding our efforts is a team of ten committed employees,” Yash explains. “Not only do we take care of the elderly at the Ashram, but we also arrange lunches and dinners at restaurants twice every year.”
The bond between Yash and the elderly residents goes beyond care; it is a relationship of mutual love and respect. When Yash was stranded during the Amarnath Yatra due to a landslide, hospitalized with COVID-19 for nine days, or recovering from a leg fracture, the elderly residents fasted and chanted the powerful Mahamrityunjaya Mantra for his safety, demonstrating their deep affection for him.
Now, Yash is focused on securing the future of his growing family. He is working with the Indore mayor, Pushyamitra Bhargava, to secure help from the Indore Municipal Corporation to build a permanent home for the elderly at the current location.
The envisioned facility will house 250 elderly people and provide specialized support and care for at least 50 immobile individuals.
Through his selfless actions, Yash has not only found himself a large family but also touched the lives of thousands across Madhya Pradesh. His story is a testament to the power of love, kindness, and the unwavering human spirit to conquer adversity.
SURROUNDED BY GRANDPARENTS
Yash and his close-knit group of friends and associates, including his mentor and business partner Shyam Songara, farmer Virendra Kewat, pharmaceutical official Pankaj Ahirwar, businessman Manish Nigam, and gas agency owner Hemlata Ojha, along with 150 other contributors, pool together `3.5 -4 lakh every month to ensure that the elderly residents have a comfortable and dignified life.
An army of blood donors
Over the past 15 years, Yash, alongside an army of 8,000 voluntary blood donors, has saved countless lives through timely blood donations to patients in urgent need. The Raktmitra India Foundation, founded by Yash in 2011, began as a small social media initiative and has grown into a lifesaving network across Madhya Pradesh.