Bhakti Chalak

A few months ago, it rained heavily. Vatsala Khot, 82, and her 110-year-old mother were inside their mud hut, shivering with fear that the roof over their heads might cave in soon. Some distance away, Mustakim Farooq Nadaf, who lived in the same village, spent the night in restlessness knowing that the mother-daughter duo was in deep trouble.

The next morning, Mustakim rushed to their house. He spent his money and, with the help of his friends, built a sturdy tin roof over the house of two elderly women in just a few days.

He also provided them with a fan, gas stove, and a year's supply of groceries. This very first incident of helping someone changed the course of Mustakim's life, who hails from Ashta in Sangli.

Speaking about that incident, Mustakim says, "I can never forget their tears of joy and the blessing they showered on me afterwards. From that point, my journey of social work began. If you take one step, you automatically find the way."

Mustakim with his daughter and other pictures

Donating 50 Per Cent 

Mustakim runs 'Bharat Gaadi Karkhana ', a mattress factory, founded by his grandfather in 1972. He has adapted this traditional business of making cotton mattresses to suit the changing times. Today, his factory makes sofas, fancy curtains, and modern mattresses.

Mustakim spends a staggering 50 per cent of the total profit earned from his business on serving the needy.

"Ours is an ancestral business. The Almighty has given us a lot without even asking, so I set aside 50 per cent of the earnings from my business every day for social work," he says.

Adopted a One-Day-Old Baby Girl

Mustakim and his wife separated for personal reasons; he took up responsibility for raising their two children.

Later, when his sister gave birth to her fourth daughter, as against her expectations of a boy, Mustakim adopted her one-day-old baby and raised her as his daughter.

Mustakim says, "I adopted the girl without thinking even for a moment. I accepted her parenthood.”

Mustakim Nadaf with his parents

Mustakim also used social media, but not for fame. His social media tryst started with an experience while walking with his son.His young son expressed a desire to help a disabled person who was passing by with difficulty.

That incident sparked an idea in Mustakim's mind.

He thought that if that person’s video reached more people through social media, it would generate revenue, enabling him to reach out to more people.

Speaking about this journey on social media, Mustakim says, "What is the point of just showing the condition of the poor by making videos? Instead, earning money using that very same social media and using that money to bring a smile back to the faces of these needy people, this was my real plan."

Mustakim Nadaf

Mustakim's social work is not limited to festivals or special occasions. He has a ready list of destitute, disabled, and poor families in his village and surrounding areas. On a fixed date every month, he visits their homes and provides them with groceries, a gas cylinder, and other necessities.

Mustakim is always ready to help, be it someone needing a wheelchair, a tricycle, or repairs to their house. He never considers a person's religion or caste while extending his helping hand.

"I personally go and survey whether that person genuinely needs help. Based on my assessment, I select a date for a particular family. Every month on that date, I personally deliver the ration, gas, or whatever is needed," he explains.

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He explains his philosophy, "Poverty or illness never looks at whether someone is a Hindu or a Muslim before striking. I was born in a Muslim house, so I became a Muslim; you were born in a Hindu's house, so you became a Hindu. But the biggest religion is humanity itself. Even if we all take care of just one poor person in our lane, we will not see anyone begging on the streets."