My Life, My Passion: Praveen Patkar and Smt. Priti Patkar
This was one of the most touching guest lectures. Pravin Patkar began the session with an analogy of the city’s waste dump yard to the filth of the society, i.e., human trafficking. He described the current situation of the children on the streets and made the students realize the dangers such children are facing.
He stressed the need for passion for bringing change in the society as a youth in their lives.
The couples shared their experiences and challenges they faced in their early days of serving the needy people during floods, riots, etc. They beautifully narrated their success story that brought a change in the lives of children in the red light area of Mumbai through their sustained efforts for rehabilitation.
Mr & Mrs Patkar demonstrated their courage in spite of having enemies in the flesh trade and criminals of all sorts from the red light area and their sacrifice of personal security for the sake of children of the destitute.
Some feedback from the students
They made me realise how lucky I am. I am born and brought up in a surrounding with no trouble. – Dhanush B
We live in this world where there are not only good things but also cruelty. I have been always seeing this life of pleasure and so has never thought about children of my own age, suffering from cruelties of people in this world. I had heard about child trafficking but never took it this serious. This session made us realise the sorrows and feelings of these children and has inspired us to take up social service jobs, if not in a big way, to the extent possible in our own little manner. – Megha, Karwar
It was an awakening and altering program. I felt very inspired and felt I also should do something as these great personalities did – Sinatra, Karwar
I am so much inspired by them that I have decided to become a social worker. – Suyash M P, Karwar
They were a couple who had no fear and went forward and helped children. – T Shashank Yadar
I was shocked to hear they have helped almost 9000 children. – Vaneesh V, Belgaum
They are like the parents of children who are trafficked. They have saved 9000 children. Truly this is a great job done by them. – Akshay S Prasad, Karwar
I also want to do something like them for society. – Amrita J M, Mysore