By Anagh Mukherjee:
The living conditions in Sathe Nagar colony were appalling. Children had to walk through the sewage of the nullah (open drain) if they wanted to reach school on time. Even if they managed to do so after the inhumane ordeal, they wouldn’t be allowed to enter their classes because they would be covered in filth.
Open defecation is still a norm due to the lack of toilets. One reads about these things in the media, but it is a whole different ball game to see it up front; meet the people, who are suffering this on a daily basis. We were shocked.
17-year-old Eshan Balbale read about the colony in a newspaper and took it upon himself to help out this community in need. He decided to build a bridge across the drain with the help of a few others. The bridge was made with the help of members of the community. It was constructed with inexpensive but durable material, such that it could be made without much legal hassle of constructing a permanent structure.
Eshan’s work inspired the local powers to build another bridge over the nullah adjacent to the bridge he set up. Watch how the residents of Sathe Nagar had been living and how the construction of the bridge has infused a new level of confidence in the community.
