Bhakti Chalak

The Hinjawadi area of Pune in Maharashtra is well-known as an IT hub where one often comes across young professionals with laptop bags rushing in and out of their swanky offices, creating the impression that they are distant from society.

However, recently, the places witnessed a different scene.  A group of IT professionals organised a 'Mohabbat Ka Sharbat' (Sherbet of Love) distribution event, sending a message of love and harmony.

The event was organised to celebrate both Gudi Padwa and Eid festivals to celebrate India's social harmony.

Ajinkya Desai, who floated the idea to his group of friends first, said, "Some of us friends had casually met for tea, and while discussing what is going on in society, it crossed our minds that we could organize some initiative to spread positivity in society; Gudi Padwa and Eid were coming one after the other, and we wanted to tell people that celebrating festivals together and participating in each other's happiness is our true tradition, which is exactly how the idea of 'Mohabbat Ka Sharbat' came up."

Interestingly, Ajinkya's family also supported him to make this initiative successful. His mother and sister helped in preparing the sherbet. His wife Nilima handled the technical and banner design work for this initiative, and she also registered her participation by actually stepping onto the field.

There is a general perception that the youth working in the IT sector usually stay away from social movements. However, these friends decided to shatter this myth. Ajinkya says, "There is a very large section around us that thinks like us, but we are all scattered; there is a need to bring them together, and it is through such initiatives that these people can be connected."

While distributing the sherbet, these youths gained experiences that brought immense satisfaction to their minds. Within an hour and a half to two hours, more than 250 glasses of sherbet were finished, and people were not just drinking the sherbet and walking away, but they were also stopping there to chat.

People living in the area, who come from different states, praised this initiative. When people learned that the sherbet stall was set up by young professionals and by the IT engineers, their joy doubled.

A 50-year-old man, who drank a glass of mohabat ka sherbet, said, "Today, attempts are being made to create a divide in the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, but the Maharaj's true thoughts different; there is a need to tell these true thoughts to today's youth, and through your initiative, these ideas can reach the younger generation."

Rushikesh Pawar, a young software engineer who participated in this initiative, said, "Initially, we were wondering whether people would respond. But seeing the enthusiasm of the people, we felt encouraged; everyone can't enter politics and bring about a change, but it is necessary to build a cultural movement, and this is our attempt to run a 'shop of love in the market of hatred' (Nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukan)."

Some of the youths participating in this initiative for the first time were slightly doubtful initially, but everyone's confidence grew because of the people's love and the positive response they provided. These youths are not going to stop at just this now. In the coming days, they intend to spread awareness in the IT park on the occasion of the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

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Ajinkya Desai is says, "The core identity of India that we know is one of peace and love; even though some anti-social elements are spreading hatred for their own benefit, if we, the people who spread the message of love, remain silent, our true Indian thought will never reach the next generation; we must keep speaking and keep organizing such initiatives to keep our ideology alive."

 

 

 

 

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