A time to celebrate and contribute.

Pune: In keeping with its tradition of embarking on a social initiative during every Ganesh festival, a Pune-based trust has begun providing free food to 1,000 patients at a state-run hospital and also constructing a large shelter for relatives who come with the ill.

"Social responsibility is an integral part of public celebrations of Ganesh festival since our motto is that the money donated by the devotees must be utilised for the betterment of society, reduce pain and misery in our society and understand the problems of the neglected class," Mahesh Suryawanshi, treasurer of the of the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Trust, told Gulf News.

The trust has begun providing the necessary funds to Sassoon Hospital so that it can prepare and provide free breakfast and two meals for 1,000 patients every day, he said. Another important gesture towards the poor patients is that the trust will construct a 5,000sq ft structure to accommodate relatives of the patients for whom there are no facilities at all. "We are also coordinating with the hospital authorities to identify patients requiring critical surgery but cannot afford to pay for it. The trust will bear the expenses in such cases," said Suryawanshi.

The Trust's Ganesh mandal at Budhwar Peth, in the heart of the old city, attracts thousands of devotees every year because of the grandeur of the dEacor. This time, a beautiful replica of Hawa Mahal (palace of winds) in Jaipur has been set up and has been drawing scores of tourists, too. The Trust does spend considerable amount on the public religious functions but say they are also committed to taking care of the needy, feels Suryawanshi.

A slew of ongoing social initiatives with hundreds of volunteers goes far in bringing youth and society together - especially when festivities are deteriorating due to inappropriate music being played, consumption of alcohol and ignorance towards the value of constructive work, he adds.

One of the trust's significant contributions is adopting 10 villages in Pune district to help people overcome the drought situation. "Our motto is to make every village self-sufficient so that they are not dependent on the government. We intend to work with the people on every front -- health, education, water storage and so on."

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