Youths stand by cold-hit poor on New Year's Eve

Saturday, January 2, 2010

While most people celebrated the New Year with party and picnic on Thursday night in Rajshahi city, a group of youths came out to the streets to mitigate the suffering of homeless poor people who were lying out in the biting cold.

The group of four youths, all are small businessmen, celebrated the New Year by distributing winter clothes among the poor people.

Minutes before the zero hour, Md Shamsuzzaman Mithu of Dari Khorbona, Rajesh Kumar Seraogi of Pathanpara, Masum Sarker of Seroil Colony and Sheikh Mehedi Iqbal Sumon of Sagarpara gathered at Kumarpara with some 250 blankets and winter clothes.

They went to Rajshahi Railway Station and saw a mother, who was hardly able to save her six-month-old child from the chill, holding it on her lap and sitting at a corner of the station veranda. She was sitting there, as the floor was also cold.

The unidentified mother did not delay in expressing her gratitude to the youths for giving her two blankets.

It was 1:30am. There were many other poor people at the station veranda who stood up in line for getting a blanket. However, an elderly man was stiff enough in cold to advance for winter clothes. He did not miss the eyes of the youths as he was shivering with cold wearing only a torn shirt and a lungi.

At the bus terminal, all shutters of bus counters were closed and some of the poor were hardly coping with the cold wearing one or two T-shirts. Blankets were distributed among them too.

Then the youths went to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for distributing winter clothes among poor patients.

"In previous years, we passed the New Year night eating out at costly restaurants or holding picnic donating handsome money. This year, we just thought to share the joy with others who seldom have any real delight", said Sumon, who runs a mobile phone shop.

"Distributing winter clothes, we learnt that there are many of our fellow countrymen who really need help. And it is not difficult to fulfil what they want. If we look after each other, there will no poverty in society," said Mithu, owner of a cosmetic shop.

Saifuddin Shahin, a local businessman, also provided some winter clothes for distribution.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=120134