A helping hand is as precious as a diamond. Unfortunately, it is also as rare as a diamond. One such rare diamond among humans is Mr. Murthy. He lends his helping hand to people in need through his NGO Lakshitha. Hatke Story went on a journey with him to trace the birth of Lakshitha in 2003. The journey was not just beautiful but inspiring.
When a simple banker from Hyderabad decides to think beyond himself, society gets a helping hand for a lifetime. Mr. Murthy had worked at the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for 25 years. After opting for voluntary retirement from the services of SIDBI as a Deputy General Manager at 54, he decided to give back to society in a big way.
Murthy’s Helping Hand Post Retirement
You may ask what the hurry to lend a helping hand was. Why did Mr. Murthy lose out on six precious years of service? The answer is simple, passion towards social service ranks highest for him. Unlike many government employees, Mr. Murthy wanted to put a full stop to government service when he was healthy. If he retires at an older age, his body may not support him doing all he wants. So, he decided to divert his energy from government service and spend it on social service. It is the thought that compelled Mr. Murthy to retire early, despite his family commitments.
What Triggered the Helping Hand?
Mr. Murthy’s job took him to Patna, Nagpur, Mumbai, and Lucknow. His travel to PAN India made him see honest India and the vast variance in the standard of living of different sections of the society. It compelled him to take the responsibility of meeting the unmet needs of less privileged communities with a motto to ‘give back to the society which has given a lot to him and his family.
Later, to have a more prolonged impact on the lives of such less privileged sections of the society, he started extending a helping hand towards the support of education which started with a single girl child and now has 25 children under his wings of support. Most of these kids belong to the lower income group, with parents mainly in the unorganized sector. Three students are now employed, after completing their graduation, to be more specific, B.Tech., with the support of Lakshitha.
Supporting the education of a child is an arduous task, says Mr. Murthy. It does not stop by simply providing financial assistance. As part of the due diligence exercise, he devised an eight-page application for the students and the school/college to fill. A thorough background check is performed, fees are paid directly to the school electronically, there is no cash transaction at any given point in time. He has successfully built and maintained people’s trust in him by putting such a robust mechanism in place.
However, his responsibility does not end with paying the fees. Mr. Murthy keeps a check on the academic progress of every student he sponsors, along with a WhatsApp group for regular updates. Indeed, his helping hand is one that never lets one go. Apart from education, Lakshitha focuses on extracurricular activities of the underprivileged students, which are very much required for the overall development of a student.
For this, he conducts/organizes fun/memory games, magic shows, picnics, visits to Zoos/historical places, cultural programs, quizzes, etc. The other focus areas are distributing stationery items, notebooks, school bags, shoes, and other materials the students require, either directly or through NGOs and other organizations.
He proudly says that Lakshitha has touched the lives of more than 10000 students during its 18 years of service to society.
Spreading the word
Interestingly, all his requirements for the NGO are posted on their official Facebook page. His primary sources of funds are his friends and family members who donate to Lakshitha regularly and on occasions like birthdays, wedding anniversaries, academic and career excellence, and any other joyful occasion. Under its fund-raising initiatives, Lakshitha has come out with an innovative idea of “Do not waste! Donate waste.” Under this initiative, they collect old newspapers/scrap from households and offices/schools. Proceeds from the sale of such material are utilized for education and health projects.
There is a tremendous response for this initiative residential complexes and schools, says Mr. Murthy. It is to encourage people and spread the message that helping does not have to be huge. Even the smallest amount can help someone in need. He says one can be part of this initiative under their Individual Social Responsibility (ISR), like that of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Good attracts good like a magnet. Knowing Lakshitha’s work, many people got inspired and started doing their bit of good work. Recently, a close acquaintance donated the money to Lakshitha, which he received as a farewell gift as he transitioned between jobs. Few donated their first salary, few their stipend, and the count goes on. Many such inspiring stories are there, says Mr. Murthy. This way, Lakshitha is being remembered on small occasions and thus can be a more significant part of society.
Many ways to serve the society
Mr. Murthy does not stop with educating underprivileged children. He does everything in his capacity to make this a better society. His “Early to bed, Early to rise” policy benefits many others along with him. Explaining how simple it is to extend a helping hand, he says that at his current residence, he serves tea to all the security guards at five in the morning, and every Sunday, he treats them with some refreshments.
It is not that they cannot afford that. It is meeting their requirements at odd times, says Mr. Murthy. One can start with such a simple act of kindness and experience the joy of giving. He spares at least 3,000 rupees from his pension every month for this purpose. Mr. Murthy’s thoughts and actions never stop when it comes to social service.
He does his bit for society with other activities. He is continually celebrating the event ‘Daan Utsav,’ the Joy of Giving week, celebrated worldwide. During this week, Lakshitha carries out various activities for the benefit of underprivileged sections of society. Mr. Murthy is an active supporter of pan India NGO Goonj, for which they provide blankets, old clothes, utensils, stationery items, notebooks, and other necessities regularly. He also supports a few other NGOs like Desire Society, Kasturba Trust based in Hyderabad. He diligently works with like-minded people and small NGOs benefiting society.
Helping Hands within the family
Talking about his family, Mr. Murthy says he is lucky to have a family that thinks like him. His wife and daughters not only understand his passion but share it. They also believe in lending a helping hand just like him. His mother-in-law and father donate a part of their pension to Lakshitha.
Many people lend a helping hand and stay silent. Mr. Murthy does not want to be one of those people. He wishes to tell the world about his deeds so that he can inspire people. One Murthy can extend a helping hand to a few. Creating more people like him will create a more significant impact on a larger part of society.
Mr. Murthy likes to place on record his thanks to all those volunteers, donors, and other stakeholders for all the support being extended to Lakshitha in carrying out the activities. Without the support, it would not have been possible for Team Lakshitha to complete 18 years of service to society.
One can see the activities which Mr.Murthy and Lakshitha has carried out during the last 18 years at:
https://www.facebook.com/lakshithaonearth/
Like us on FB, if you find our content interesting: https://www.facebook.com/hatkestoryofficial/
Do you have an interesting incident or experience to share with the world? Write to us, and together we can discuss how to weave your story and present it to the world. Would you mind sending us your story?
Comments are closed.