How to Be a True Digital Dildar!

On the 8th of December 2015, I received a call from my brother Vicky (Nishant). In a hushed and tensed voice, he shortly narrated Mangcha’s plight. Mangcha had been run over by an Suv in Bangalore’s unmanned road. Vicky asked me to check his post in FB. When I clicked on Ketto’s link, the image of  Mangcha’s splattered leg, sprung up. I closed my eyes for a moment. It was so grotesque that I almost blacked out.

Reminiscing the Past:

As I gradually began reading the update; it reminded me of Vicky’s road accident in Pune during March 2013 which scarred his face for life. It was a major casualty. He had spoken with me before going for his surgery and being the cheerful guy he always is; he tried to assure me that he would recover sooner. But I still couldn’t stop being worried. I have always felt guilty for not being able to go to Pune then. I was recuperating from a lumber disc prolapse. I informed my parents but being located in remote Tripura, they reached Pune after the surgery was over. Vicky’s counterparts in Teach for India took great care of him during those trying times. My family will remain grateful for that (Sayani and other TFI Fellows).It still breaks my heart to see my brother, who would be worried even for a slight blemish on his face; live with these marks.

The reason I spoke about Vicky’s accident is not to garner any sympathy, but to make people realize that a tragedy can hit anyone at any given point of time. It does not gently knock at your door to seek permission and say, “Hello, is Mister or Miss X there? My name is tragedy and you’re my next victim. I have come to hit you with all my capacity. Kindly, accept me.” What would you do if tragedy came knocking at your or your friend’s door?

Spreading the Word:

80 to 90 percent of the money remains stagnant with the rich. Crowd funding is an apt platform where you have the opportunity to be of service to someone. Many may not be able to make large contributions but the saying ‘Little drops of water make a mighty ocean’ holds true when I look at Mangcha’s Campaign in Ketto; that hit the conscience of 300 plus people who made their contribution on and offline. It makes me happy to know that there is goodness in this world. There were many who considered the message on whatsapp as spam or never even bothered to ask. But that did not stop me, Vicky, my friends, & family from spreading the word.

Everyone made contributions according to their capacity, ranging from Rs. 100 to Rs.20000 or more.  Those who couldn’t provide monetary help, decided to share the message and it reached the right people. My 76 year old Granny (Dida) who isn’t tech savvy; went out to tell people about Mangcha and how they could make their contribution via Ketto.

Exceeding Expectations:

During the period when the campaign was going on, I was almost sleepless as I was worried if the target amount would be collected in a very short span of time. But with everyone’s effort, the campaign was successful and it exceeded our expectations.

 

Getting to Know Ketto:

I knew about NGOs, social workers, and charitable organizations that provide a helping hand to people. But I was unaware of crowd funding until my brother told me.  Ketto was born on the 15^th of August (A day Indians can never forget.) 2012 with a vision to empower people to “use internet for good”.

I was curious to know about them. So, I started reading and found out that the talented actor Kunal Kapoor  is one of the co-founders of the company.  On a lighter note, I was extremely delighted to come across this piece of information. Well most of the ladies go gaga over him. Do I need to say more?

Kollam Temple Fire:

This is my earnest request to the “Digital Duniya Ke Digital Dildaar”, “use internet for good”. Visit Ketto’s site to find out who needs you. Kindly make your contributions for the recent Kollam fire tragedy by either donating or sharing the campaign page in facebook, twitter, whatsapp or any social networking site that you might use.

Yes, you were not a part of this mishap nor was I. But what if you were or a person you knew was? Would you let the opportunity to make a difference to a lot of people pass by? I believe many of you wouldn’t let it go and I hope the campaign reaches its goal sooner. Do not wait for a tragedy to hit you to realize how it feels. Make a difference by using internet to empower yourself to become the change. You are free to make contributions to any cause, which you think you must stand for.