Chennai:
What insurance companies refused to do, NDTV viewers/readers and the general public have done. The seemingly insensitive, intransigent, commercial face of an insurance company that was perhaps all too eager to escape a claim for coverage of twin infants in the neo natal ICU, by hiding behind the devil in the fine print of the policy has been offset by the spontaneous generosity of public spirited citizens, including Non Resident Indians. You sometimes don't need the government or its agencies or its toothless regulators to help you when you have so many well-meaning, caring individuals.
Barely two hours after my
blog was uploaded, offers and contributions from people moved by the plight of the family, started coming in. The babies' father Bharath started getting text messages from people in other cities like Kolkata, and even from NRIs in the United States. At the time of writing this piece, Rs.63,250 has been contributed by the following good samaritans:
- Shailaj Kumar. L - Rs.20,000.
- Vineet Bhatia - Rs.15,000.
- Deepali & Venky - Rs.10,250.
- Sanvi & Vidan Pinto - Rs.5000.
- Reema Nath - Rs.3000.
- Amit Kumar Hasmukhlal M - Rs.3000.
- A Well Wisher - Rs.2000.
- Vijayakumar V.S - Rs.2000.
- Atanu Lodh - Rs.1000.
- Athmagopal Rao - Rs.1000.
- Divya Saxena - Rs.1000.
This amount raised is almost a reimbursement of all the medical expenses so far.
In this day and age, to put your money where your sympathies lie, is not easy. This act of helping total strangers, expecting nothing in return, not even a mention in this blog, is commendable and warms the cockles of my heart. Thank you, folks. May God bless you all. These gestures remind me of what our Chairman Dr. Prannoy Roy said during the inauguration of the NDTV Viewers-Helpage India Elders Village in Cuddalore after the tsunami. "Indians are really generous when they know their money will be spent for a good cause." How true.
An emotional Bharath, the father of the twin babies, says he is "very grateful and happy". The money, he says, will be used to pay the existing hospital bill and also to move them back to the bigger hospital for the best treatment as the insurance company goes through its red tape rigmarole.
The condition of the babies, I am told, is better. The parents exude a new found confidence. Not just because of the Vitamin M but also the prayers, positive thoughts and good wishes of all those who have read about their plight. I have always believed that meaningful journalism is about being an instrument of change, however small it is. Not about TRPs.