Ahmedabad

When asked to give some raincoats to kids in Ahmedabad’s slums, Anuj Sharma decided to teach them how to make them instead — using some tarpaulin, buttons and rubber bands!

In times like these when we don't trust our very neighbour, it is heartwarming to see a man flying from Dubai to Ahmedabad to donate stem cells to a complete stranger, a young girl called Priya. The man is Gopal Vachhani.

Citizens can report suspicious vehicles with the registration number, location and photographs of the vehicle to the Whatsapp number circulated by the Ahmedabad Police.

What started with four students is now a huge residential school that is changing the lives of hundreds of visually impaired girls. It not only provides a safe haven and quality education, but also find suitable life partners for the girls when are of marriageable age!

Often when we face challenges in life we get disheartened and give up. Nishtha is an example of sheer courage as she has been fighting muscular dystrophy for several years now, not allowing it to make her a "dependent". Not only this, she is on a mission to spread awareness about the cause and is helping similar patients to overcome this disability and lead "normal" lives. Read her inspiring story of courage and dedication.

Imagine getting into an autorickshaw and at the end of the ride being told that someone has already paid for it. Or after a fabulous meal at a restaurant, instead of being presented with a bill you get a handwritten note that says it was a gift from a guest! Sounds implausible, doesn't it? Well, you might find yourself more at the receiving end of such "random acts of kindness" as the concept of gift economy takes shape in India.

A childish mistake, a "dare" at the age of 5, left him bereft of all his limbs. For 10 years after that, Raja was not allowed to step out of his house. Now, he not only goes to work everyday, but earns well, lives on his own and is completely self-reliant. Once a grateful recipient of a scholarship that helped him complete his studies in Finance and MBA, he is now a giver of scholarships and also participates in policy making. Can anything better illustrate the impact made by persons with disability if given half a chance in our society?

It can be seen from the examples below that when residents and stakeholders in a community come together to solve an issue, the results are not only positive, but also long-lasting. Here we learn of ordinary citizens and local NGOs who inspired people in their areas to keep their surroundings clean and free of diseases.

Imagine someone who cannot walk and has no hope of even having the gift of walking on his own two feet. Polio Foundation has been relentlessly working for 25 years to bring in a ray of light in such darkened lives! Since its birth in Ahmedabad in 1987, the foundation has been striving to fulfill its objective of aiding the physically handicapped children by way of corrective surgery and giving them necessary appliances so that they can walk on their feet without anybody's assistance. This does not merely bring about physical gratification; it also has tremendous impact upon the psychological development of the child coupled with immense happiness to the family. All treatments, care and calipers are provided without any cost to the patients.