KAKINADA: Vinod Agrawal, a native of Kakinada and better known as the proprietor of Sarala Foods and secretary of Rice Exporters’ Association, is well-known among the business community in East Godavari district.
Most of the time, he is busy with his food export business. However, when someone in need approaches him for help, he never turns them away and makes it a point to help them in one way or another. When the novel coronavirus hit East Godavari district, Agrawal was among the first to offer a helping hand, and also motivated his friends and acquaintances to chip in to help the needy.
During the first wave, Agrawal distributed food and water to 1,200 people (poor and migrants) daily in Kakinada by himself and donated Rs 5 lakh to Kakinada Municipal Corporation for Covid-19 preventive measures. He continued his voluntary service for almost six months, till the Covid first wave subsided.
However, when the second wave made its presence felt, and partial lockdown was imposed in East Godavari district, he resumed distribution of food and water to 1,200 people on a daily basis.
When some people requested for oxygen concentrators due to lack of sufficient supply in the beginning of the second wave, he sponsored oxygen concentrators to Kakinada Government General Hospital (GGH). Recently, he distributed Rs 4.50 lakhs worth essentials to the locals. Praising the efforts of Agrawal, an environmental protection voluntary organisation founder, Nindigam Kishore Kumar, said, “Generosity is a trait that comes by birth. It is a quality that cannot be acquired in a lifetime if the person does not have it. By the time we realise that something must be done in this hour of need, Vinod is already busy taking care of the kith and kin of Covid-19 patients at GGH Kakinada,” he said.
Agrawal chooses to remain anonymous most of the time and lets his actions speak more than words. “Many of us do not know about his charitable disposition. So, I brought his story to light as this may inspire people to come forward and join the stream of giving,” Kishore Kumar, also a friend of Agarwal, said.