Neemuch: He could have easily celebrated his daughter’s marriage with pomp and splendour. However, this Madhya Pradesh farmer did not do so as he was moved by the plight of COVID-19 patients and the growing scramble for medical oxygen. So the farmer from Neemuch district in Madhya Pradesh donated Rs 2,00,000 he had set aside for his daughter’s marriage. He handed it to the officials of the local administration for buying the life-saving gas.
Meet Champalal Gurjar, who hails from Gwal Deviyan village. He handed over Monday over a cheque of Rs 2,00,000 to District Collector Mayank Agrawal for buying two cylinders of medical oxygen. One will be for the district hospital and another for Jeeran Tehsil where he lives.
Gurjar survives on farming. He said raised his daughter Anita with great care. He had wished that her marriage, which took place Sunday, was a grand ceremony. However, the pandemic situation made Gurjar change his mind at the last moment.
“….So to make my daughter’s marriage memorable I donated rupees two lakh to the district administration. I told them that the money was for them can buy two oxygen cylinders,” said Gurjar.
Anita said the noble deed of her father left her overwhelmed with joy. “Right now, there is a dire need for medical oxygen given the surge in COVID-19 cases,” she said. “So celebrations can wait as lives are more important,” she added.
Collector Agrawal praised Gurjar’s gesture. “If others take a cue from the farmer and donate, the fight against the pandemic will become a lot easier,” he said.
As of Sunday, Madhya Pradesh’s Covid-19 caseload stood at 4,99,304 while death toll was 5,133, as per the state Health department.