The magic touch

Her organisation — Parash Pathar — has many members,including some IAS,IPS officers and their spouses who all have extended a helping hand to her to work for children and others who need care.

“Few years ago,while coming from Bangalore,I encountered two small kids in the station,they were crying,they looked poor,and desolate. I brought them to Kolkata along with me,that was the first step. As it is known,nothing in life comes easily,so hurdles were expected. But then,as we all know,there is a brighter side to every dark night,I managed to arrange a place for them where they could live with the most basic necessities of life,” Mohua said while recounting the life-altering incident.

At the orphanage at East Midnapore,destitute children get food,education and shelter. Mohua and her “crusaders” have also set up schools for the orphans in most backward areas of Usti,Ganganagar,and Jharkhali — all in South 24-Parganas,a district which has been identified as trafficking-prone zone of West Bengal.

Mohua also works against trafficking in several human trafficking-prone districts like Nadia and East Midnapore.

“We visit houses in the villages at regular intervals and count the girls. In case a girl is not found,we enquire about her whereabouts. Sometimes we found that the girls are trafficked to other states. We inform the police. With the help of CID and West Bengal police,we have rescued 20 girls who were trafficked,” Mohua said.

Apart from this,her organisation distributes clothes twice a year to the underprivileged class — men,women,and children — at Laulara,Purulia,Ramnagar,Purba Midnapore,Digha villages and other underdeveloped areas of West Bengal.

Parash Pathar runs a free school (primary) at Contai (Kanakpur) and provides books,slates,pencils free of cost along with free breakfast to children. It also provides shawls and other woollen garments to the children and women at different slum areas in Kolkata. The organisation conducts health camp at Kolkata.

Another important work Mohua and her colleagues are now doing is creating awareness against the misuse of Section 498 A of IPC. “Undoubtedly,we need law against dowry and domestic violence,however,law should be such where real culprits are punished,and innocents are not harassed and victimised. Since in many cases,498A has been misused,it is the responsibility of the Government of India,Judicial system,and society to salvage and save the institution of marriage,” Mohua feels.

“Often police make arrests under Section 498 A without conducting proper investigations. In the process,many innocents get victimised,” she observed.

Parash Pathar has charted out its future plan also. It aims to set up a home for girls and a day care school. It also wants to start an old age home and a residential school for slum children.