Mumbai based Gorkhas offer helping hand

EOI and KalimNews Mumbai, 14 Dec 2015: In aid of cancer patients coming to Mumbai for treatment a six bedded accommodation is provided by the Bharatiya Gorkha Ekta Sangh (BGES) of Mumbai. With an objective to help the poor people coming to Tata memorial cancer hospital in Mumbai this accommodation is started with a humble beginning which will be expanded in due course of time. People have to pay a nominal amount for their stay during the treatment period.
BGES is a socio - cultural organisation established in 2002 by Indian Gorkhas settled in Mumbai. Its members are from different parts of India including Darjeeling, the Dooars, Assam, Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh. Some are engaged themselves in different private and business profession in different parts of Mumbai while some are settled over there. Help from all local members and sources and inspiration from people like Ranjit Gazmer musician, Lalit Dutraj Retired ACP and some businessman like Dhuruv Pradhan, Krishna Tamang, Rohit Pradhan and Officials like Bharat Darnal, Chief manager of Bharat Petroleum have accelerated the projects of the BGES.
Its objective is to showcase, preserve and promote the culture, language, literature and arts of the Indian Gorkhas by uniting them on one platform. BGES, since its inception, has organised several social and cultural events in Mumbai. In the sphere of social welfare, it has hosted many free medical and blood donation camps in various parts of Mumbai including Navi Mumbai.
More recently, the Sangh has undertaken a ‘Cancer Patient Accommodation Project’ for cancer patients who come to Mumbai seeking treatment. Funds for the project are raised both on the local and national levels and there have been significant contributions by members. BGES chairman Dhruv Pradhan and joint secretary Rohit Pradhan recently visited Dehradun to promote the objective of the Sangh and the Cancer Patient Accommodation Project. People come to Mumbai from all over the country for treatment of cancer and they have to wait for weeks and months for an appointment. The treatment period takes even longer. Moreover, Mumbai is a very expensive city and most patients and their families cannot afford hotel and guesthouse charges. Keeping this in mind, BGES members initially hosted cancer patients at their own residences and even helped them financially. As many cancer patients do not survive, Sangh members also made arrangements to send their mortal remains home by air.
The CPAP came into being to help such needy cancer patients. Currently, accommodation for six patients and one companion has been made available at a very nominal cost. A kitchen with all cooking provisions has also been provided for guests to cook their own food. Further, there is a caretaker 24x7 to guide the patients during treatment. The number of beds will increase over time. The accommodation facility at Kurla was inaugurated in Kamgar Colony, Kurla on December 13 by Krishna Tamang from Kurseong, now a hotelier based in Mumbai. MGM Hospital in Vashi has donated five beds with bedding and side tables. The Sangh has started the project on a small scale, but the plan is to provide accommodation to poor and helpless patients on a much larger scale. (with inputs from KalimNews)