Kalyan man provides relief by giving water

KALYAN: A 31-year-old man from Kalyan, Mahesh Bankar is making sure he helps as many as he can with water while they stand in long queues outside a vaccination centre at Lal Chowki in Kalyan (W), waiting to hear about their patients. Not long ago, he was infected with Covid-19 along with his pregnant wife, diabetic mother and his father and has since recovered.

Bankar parks his scooter with boxes of water bottles outside the centre with a banner that says ‘Free water service’. He gives people water bottles as they pass by.

“After my family and I got cured from the infection, I used to see people waiting outside the vaccination and Covid centres and wondered about the ordeal they faced. I wanted to help them in some way. The best thing I could do was to give them water,” said Bankar, who runs a cake shop near the Art Gallery Covid and Vaccination Centre, Lal Chowki, Kalyan (W).

On a daily basis, Bankar purchases six to seven of water bottles and distributes them to those in need at the vaccination and Covid centre. One box contains 24 bottles.

“Sometimes I manage to distribute around 10 boxes. Many who come at the centre are clueless about how many hours they will have to wait and many don’t carry water. When they see me standing with water bottles, I can see a sense of relief on their faces,” he added.

Bankar has been doing this since April 26.

“Since my cake shop is shut now, I don’t have to spend time at the shop. I use that time to provide water to the needy. Throughout this process, I have come across so many stories of people dealing with the virus. I also decided to share positive stories through my social media handle,” said Bankar.