The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked heavy disruption in all our lives. The lockdown and its fall out have been massive but India has fought with strength and with a rare show of solidarity. The entire nation has rallied behind each other in tackling the social and economic implications of the pandemic. However, certain people stand out in their contribution to the nation by their exemplary actions. Of course, we all acknowledge the immense contributions of the medical fraternity, sanitation workers and the police force but some individuals have also displayed that crises do bring out the best in humanity. Ratnabhai Thummar is one such person.
Ratnabhai Thummar, is 99 years old and is an ex-MLA of Mendarda-Maniya constituency in Junagadh, Gujarat during 1975-80. He recently stunned the nation with his generous contribution of Rs. 51,000 towards the #IndiaFightsCorona efforts. Ratnabhai is still strong and sprightly at his age and unwavering in his dedication towards his motherland. When asked why he gave away his savings, he replied “I decided to donate my savings to the government as I cannot do anything physically to help the nation due to my age”. His thoughts are proclaiming loud and clear that one’s contribution to nation building need not stop due to age or any other factor.
This isn’t the first time that Ratnabhai has risen to the occasion. In 1965, during the Indo-Pak war, the then Prime Minster of India, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri had asked the citizens to fast for a day a week in order to avoid shortage of food grain in the country. Ratnabhai had immediately adopted that and follows it till date by fasting every Monday. Service to the nation is above all else for him and he is said to have foregone his salary as an MLA and does not even collect the pension due to him as an ex-MLA.
Ratnabhai’s generosity caught the attention of PM Modi, who called and spoke to him and thanked him personally for his contribution. Ratnabhai’s unwavering patriotism and sense of duty makes him a paragon of all qualities that makes one #iamstrongest.
