Good intentions can make a big impact, and if bolstered by a push on social media, they can even move mountains. This has been aptly proven by a tweet being noticed by Indian Philanthropist Manish Mundra, going viral and raising enough money to save the life of a baby battling death. Heena Sodhi Khera, Founder of Queen’s Brigade, is emphatic in saying, “with the use of a simple hashtag #LetsDoMore, it was the emotion of genuine empathy that gained popularity on Twitter in November 2020.”
For a spot boy, the sum of INR 1 lakh to save his baby, seems monumental and unreachable, but he achieved it with the help of a few good souls. Around 10:20 p.m. on a chilly November evening, Heena received a call for help from Shivani Agarwal, a friend and mentor who works with a Media Production House. She asked Heena for monetary help for Abdul, a spot boy working at the channel, who needed to pay the medical bills of his severely ill child. Shivani had already contributed a significant amount herself, to which Heena further added on, yet they were falling short of the required amount. Attuned to the power of social media to spread positivity and goodwill, Heena then decided to seek extra support from others, by announcing it on Twitter.
A video of the helpless baby attached to numerous tubes and pipes in an ICU bed, provided a moving and real image of the plight of Abdul and his family. This was accompanied by a simple caption relating the problem and the urgent need to raise funds for this worthy cause. In a prudent move, Heena tagged certain high-profile people whom she had seen helping others selflessly throughout the difficult year gone past. According to Heena, “this world is full of kindness. We just need to look for it.” Twitter was the powerful medium she chose to begin this search for kind souls.
The famed Producer of Bollywood films, Manish Mundra, was one of the few that was tagged in this tweet sent out by Heena. Founder of Drishyam Films Production House, Manish is best known for delivering a large number of thought-provoking and socially relevant movies in the last decade. These include ‘Ankhon Dekhi’, ‘Masaan’, ‘X: Past is Present’, ‘Waiting’, ‘Dhanak’, ‘Umrika’, ‘Newton’, ‘Rukh’, ‘Kadvi Hawa’ and the latest released in lockdown- ‘Kaamyaab’.
In the past few months, Manish Mundra has emerged as a truly selfless Indian philanthropist, willing to go the extra mile to help the needy. His contributions to Mumbai State Government initiatives for Covid relief, as well as his generous CSR related funding, was recognised in a letter of appreciation he received from MP Priyanka Chaturvedi from the Rajya Sabha.
Where many perform these magnanimous gestures merely for show, Manish acts on them sincerely. He responded within minutes of being tagged on Heena’s tweet, asking for bank details as he was prepared to make the donation on the spot. Further, his timely response also helped the tweet go viral. With over 300 likes and over 200 retweets, scores of people stepped up to contribute whatever amount they could. When there was still a deficit of few thousand rupees left the next day, Manish filled the gap so the surgery for Abdul’s baby could take place in a timely manner. With Manish’s help and the heartfelt prayers of hundreds of people on Twitter, they were able to collect around INR 1,05,000 for Abdul’s son and save him.
Manish lives by the philosophy encapsulated in the hashtag – #letsdomore, which inspires Heena to continue working on this theme in 2021 as well. In addition to appreciating Manish Mundra’s selfless contribution, she is truly grateful to everyone that donated in whatever way possible, and kept messaging personally to ask about the welfare of the baby.
I will end by wishing Manish Mundra all the luck for his new film ‘Aadhaar’, ready to release this February. Aware of his humility and focus on doing good, I am sure this film will be one to watch out for.
Follow Heena Sodhi Khera on Twitter: @heenasodhikhera
The writer is a lawyer who pens lifestyle articles on her successful blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be found on Instagram @nooranandchawla.