Oil and Natural Gas limited (ONGC) chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) Sudhir Vasudeva has recently lit up the isolated life of Rashmi lakra (name changed), an inmate of a probation home.
lakra used to harbour the dream of becoming a nurse and of serving humanity. Vasudeva showed interest in funding the Rs 3.5-lakh fee required by Rashmi for studying in the Nursing institute.
Today, Rashmi lakra is studying in the prestigious Tribal School and College of Nursing at Sidrol of Namkum block. She happily goes off to her classes everyday thanking ONGC for the change it has made in her life.
Expressing the reason behind helping Rashmi, ONGC CMD Vasudeva said that he firmly believes in the philosophy, that children, who have made mistakes in life, deserve a second chance and Rashmi's case is a true pointer to this belief.
Justice lPN Shahdeo Foundation headed by Justice Shahdeo’s wife Prabha Shahdeo is looking after this Probation home. “Residing within the confines of four walls of Namkum Probation home this dream had remained a distant dream. Disowned by her family and abandoned by her relatives , she had no money to foot the Rs 3.5 lakhs fees that the nursing school was charging as tuition, boarding and lodging fees for a three and half year GNM course,” said Justice Shahdeo’s son Pratul Shahdeo, a member of Ranchi University’s Senate.
Sharing Rashmi’s dreams, Shahdeo said, “She used to tell her friends about her dream but no one knew what to do. One day Wife of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, Meena Kabir was visiting the probation home. That day, Rashmi could not hold back her emotions and blurted everything in front of Kabir’s wife.”
Notably, the Kabir couple is very fond of probation home inmates and had already helped dozens of girls there. Pratul further said, “Meena Kabir inquired from Justice lPN Shahdeo Foundation chairperson Prabha Shahdeo if any sponsor could be found for Rashmi lakra's education. Prabha Shahdeo tried at a lot of places and corporate houses for funding of Rashmi's education but could not materialise. At the end lots of mails were sent to many big Public and Private houses for the same as Rashmi's classes had already started.”
“The first reply came from the office of chairman ONGC Sudhir Vasudeva who welcomed the idea of rehabilitation of a poor tribal girl languishing in the probation home. The mail further said that the girl should not miss any classes and so a detailed proposal should be immediately sent to the chairman cell. Enthused with the response from Sudhir Vasudeva, Justice lPN Shahdeo Foundation officials took only three days to prepare and send the detailed proposal with the relevant documents to ONGC's headquarters in Delhi,” said Pratul Shahdeo.
Prabha Shahdeo was told by the ONGC's officials that the chairman was so impressed by the girl's resolve to join the that he ensured that the entire tuition fees, fooding and lodging bill for the first year was cleared within 24 hours.