Hope Returns! Thanks to You Readers, Satvir Now Has a Tubewell

Good news | Satvir, a migrant worker received nearly Rs 3 lakh donation has set up a tube well as source of income.

The Quint’s readers raised nearly Rs 3 lakh for Satvir, who had to leave Delhi in distress during the lockdown. 

(Image: Arnica Kala/The Quint)

Video Editor: Deepthi Ramdas

All’s well that ends well. Satvir, a migrant worker who left Delhi with teary eyes, staring at a gloomy future on 18 May, is all smiles today because of financial help from good samaritans.

On 23 May, The Quint reported on how twenty-four-year-old Satvir was stopped at the Delhi-Noida border on 18 May, when he tried to cross into Uttar Pradesh with his wife and children. After being made to wait for hours, he was allowed to enter later that evening but was asked to leave his Kulfi cart behind, which was his only source of livelihood.

But that wasn’t all. From the border, he was taken to a shelter home in Noida's Sector 19. Satvir requested the police to let him go to his uncle’s home in Noida. But local police maintained that he would only be allowed to go if his uncle came to pick him up from the shelter home.

Satvir’s uncle, an elderly man, couldn’t come to take him, and so he was forced to head to his home town in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh.

Tubewell work in progress at Satvir’s crop field. 

Readers comment on Instagram on Satvir’s story.

Satvir’s story struck an emotional chord with hundreds of readers not just in India but as far away as UAE, Singapore etc. One of the readers shared what motivated him to help Satvir:

The above message was shared by Ajeet Bhatt, who lives in Singapore. He helped Satvir. 

Satvir has received nearly Rs 3 lakhs as donation from The Quint’s readers. He has now set up a tubewell at his small farm in Badaun with the help of the donations.

The Quint received overwhelming response from our readers when they heard that Satvir has already turned his life around in less than a month after he had lost all hope.

“I was happy to hear you have built a tubewell. You have used the money so well. Please take care of your children, educate them well. Our best wishes are with you.”

Farhat Ali Khan, Dubai resident who helped Satvir

“It was lovely speaking to Satvir. He came across as a positive and genuine person. He said, ‘I’m getting a tubewell, if you have any advice, please tell me.’ At that moment, I could not think of anything better. All I could think of was how fantastic that here is a person who had hit rock bottom and is still thinking about his people and village. It is amazing!”

<b>Salonika Kataria, Helped Satvir, lives in Singapore</b>