Going strong at 69!
Ganji Dedhia, Matunga’s own philanthropist is changing the face of the area with his social work and dreams for his people. Poulomi Chakravarty spoke to him ……….Poulomi Chakravarty
Citizens like Ganji Dedhia are an inspiration for the youth of today to take up a few challenges in order to do something for the society. He is the president of the Matunga Gujrati Seva Mandal, an organisation that has been nestled in Matunga for the past 75 years.Dedhia has spent 55 years of his life with this organisation and his journey has been an eventful one. Today, at the age of 69 he still works hard to keep up with the objectives of the Seva Mandal.
One of the main activities of the Seva Mandal is to provide subsidised medical equipment for the needy. “We provide homeopathic, ayurvedic and some basic allopathic medicines to the underprivileged. Even things like band-aids, antiseptics, etc are provided by our institution. Medical help to the poor is very essential since they cannot afford expensive medicines and hospitals,” says Dedhia. The Seva Mandal also indulges in different cultural activities such as drawing and karate competitions.” In order to conduct cricket competitions frequently, we have tied up with the Bombay Cricket Association. We also help kids with cricket coaching and other sports,” adds Dedhia. Dedhia was a student of Sir J J School of Arts. He retired from his family business at the age of 50 to involve himself more efficiently with the activities of the Seva Mandal. “Education and sports are the two main aspects of a child’s growth. We provide free textbooks and notebooks to all the children in our area who have opted for the SSC medium. Even the stationery that we provide is subsidised so that every child can afford it,” says Dedhia. The Seva Mandal has a lot of plans in the pipeline and Dedhia plans to conduct several cultural activities for school children all over Mumbai. “We all need to put in just a little bit of effort to give our society and environment some opportunities to develop. We are not isolated from people and their lives. We can definitely make a difference,” concludes Dedhia. We all need to put in just a little bit of effort to give our society and environment some opportunities to develop. |