|
Sgt. Pepper's lonely
hearts club
Lonely NRI parents of Pune beat
their blues
 Ramesh
Bharvikar never ever attempted singing
in public all his life, but one fine
day he burst out into his favourite
tune. He was not only pardoned, but
also encouraged to sing the next one.
That's the warmth and friendship members
of Non-Residents Indians' Parents'
Organisation (NRIPO) share
with each other.
Started by Narayan Lakshman Abhyankar
in 1994 with the help six other
members, NRIPO serves as an umbrella
to cater to the needs of parent families
of children who have left the country
for higher education or profession.
Started with only 30 member families,
the Organisation now bustles with
activities with more than 500 member
families. Since the members come from
varied backgrounds and experience,
the Organization takes up support
and counselling for passports, Visa
travel, insurance and medical aid.
They also believe in lending a helping
hand to financially poor students
from slums, and people with mental
problems.
 With
their loving sons and daughters far
away from them, the members look forward
to meeting each other to share their
joys and sorrows. "We want to transform
our Samadukkha into Samasukkha,
" quips Kumar Kiwalkar. Apart from
giving emotional support during difficult
times, they also help each other discover
hidden talents. "Every year we organise
special get togethers like Vasantik
Melava, Sankrant Melava
and Foundation Day where many of us
come out with so many ideas," says
Ushatai Rairikar enthusiastically.
NRIPO President M.H. Paranjpe beams
in anticipation of future plans: "We
plan to build a Sukhashram,
a self sufficient housing colony for
the senior citizens. Efforts are being
made to start an information center,
provide scholarships to the needy
students, start daycare centers and
arrange for medical checkups for the
members on a regular basis." Needles
to say, NRIPO is a rapidly growing
family with a vision for better care
support for the lonely parents.
Address: NRIPO, Arvind Kelkar,
Uddhav Sadan,1992, Sadashiv Peth,
Madivali Colony, Pune 411030. Phone
4476547
Text and photographs by Harikrishna
|
