Santosh Kumar Panda is like a favourite son for about a dozen-old Ho tribals living within the Saranda Forest of Jharkhand. He’s greeted with a shower of blessings and happiness whenever he walks in with his precious supply of grocery and essential supplies.
The grade 4 SAIL employee has proven to be something of a messiah for many tribal villagers in the Naxal-hit areas of Kumdi, Dharnadiri, Jamkundia, Rajabeda, Marangpunga and Kiriburu, many of which are deprived of even the most basic amenities.
“The elderly live alone in shanties that almost resemble a pig sty because perhaps their children have either died of some disease or in village fracas,” he says.
For the past three years, Panda has been on a mission to dispel the dearth and hopelessness so prevalent in these backward regions.
The tribals shy away from outsiders and the mainstream influence and end up quite isolated as a result.
Panda has won over the hearts of the villagers with regular gifts of solar lanterns and clothes. He now helps educate the children and brings in essentials for the aged
Himself a native of Keonjhar in the bordering Odisha, Panda regularly brings in rice, pulses, salt, tea and other edibles for the likes of septuagenarian Suria Kui. She would otherwise be deprived of these completely, being too old and distanced from regular society to manage by herself.
Ruffling his hair with affection, Suria Kui makes the impact of Panda’s help all too obvious.
“These old tribals don’t have the requisite papers to avail of government provisions,” explains SK Sethy, another SAIL employee who assists the altruistic pursuit. “Santosh raises money through donations to help them.”
The biggest hurdle initially proved to be the language barrier, as the tribals speak only Ho. Panda was helped in this by some tribal youths, who were impressed by his good works. Being able to speak Hindi reasonably well, the youngsters translate for Panda, while the rest is accomplished through gestures.
At the other end of the age spectrum, tribal children too have been benefiting from Panda’s efforts. Five years ago, he began his own version of the ‘School Chalo Abhiyaan’ in Kiriburu, where he set up an English medium nursery school in an abandoned house. Now, Panda teaches some 35 children deep inside the Saranda forests. His wife, Pravasini, prepares a syllabus on the CBSE pattern and uses A4 sheets to make books for the children.
According to his friends in Keonjhar, Panda faced a period of personal turmoil a while ago and vowed to begin philanthropy when he untangled his problems. Although he refuses to dwell on it, Panda has kept his promise to himself.
“I have so much more to do,” is all he says, with a smile.
