Mumbai: Good Samaritan takes poor kids on chopper ride, lunch at five-star

A 23yearold student and a real estate agent in Nalasopara who has been helping the poor and child beggars through his NGO recently fulfilled a couple of childrenrsquos dream of flying He took two child beggars on a joyride aboard a helicopter and also treated a group of them to delicious food at Taj Lands End in BandraThe good Samaritan Yash Chandrashekhar Mane lives with his mother and a younger brother in Nalasopara ldquoI run an NGO Yuva Prerna Pratishthan and have been helping the downtrodden people and children who beg I have been doing this to bring a smile to their faces It satisfies my soul toordquoMane said he often speaks to beggars and poor people living on footpaths or on the roadside to know if they are hungry or need drinking water A couple of days ago two child beggars told Mane that they wanted to eat pizza and icecream ldquoI asked them if they want to enjoy sumptuous food at Taj hotel and the children said that they have heard about it but have never actually seen itrdquo Mane saidA treat at TajHe then took them to Bandra Bandstand ldquoI wanted to take more such children with me so I spent a few minutes speaking to a few child beggars Initially they thought I was joking with themhellip but I won their confidence and took them for lunch at Taj Lands Endrdquo Mane told middayHe treated a group of child beggars to a meal at Taj Lands End in Bandra PicsHanif PatelldquoHowever on reaching there the security guard stopped us at the entrance as the children were not well dressed some were barefoot and one of them was handicapped ldquoThe security guard asked us awkward questions like if we had booked a table why the children were not well dressed why they were barefoot etc The children were asked to leave the premises but I did not give uprdquo he saidldquoI spoke to the senior executives of the hotel and after 2030 minutes the children were finally allowed inside But by then their excitement to have food at the Taj hotel had disappeared I somehow managed to cheer them up again and the manager helped as well to bring back the smile on childrenrsquos faces The hotel also offered us complimentary dishes to revive the mood of the childrenrdquo Mane addedThe children thanked Mane for the lunch ldquoThe senior executives at the hotel were very cooperative but the security guards were a little adamant The children should not have been stopped at the gate and asked to wait outside the hotel campus If they are poor it does not mean the food bill will not be paid I had been trying to convince them but it took me around 30 minutesrdquo he said Taj Lands End refused to commentThe joyrideMane also took two children on a joyride in a helicopter ldquoDuring the lockdown I saw a group of child beggars in Nalasopara When I asked them why they were begging at a traffic signal they told me that they had no other option Just then an aeroplane flew over us and one of the children said to me that he also wanted to fly in aeroplane some dayrdquo Mane saidThese children are aged between 10 and 12 years and they often beg at traffic signals in Nalasopara and trains Mane promised to fulfil his dream once the pandemic has subsided and the lockdown has been lifted Around 10 days ago Mane took two of them to Vile Parle for a 40minute joyride on a helicopter ldquoThese children would see helicopters and airplanes flying high in the sky but had never imagined that they would be able to enjoy the ride themselves So their excitement was at the next levelrdquo Mane saidThe children were extremely happy to see Mumbai Mira Road Bhayandar VasaiNalasoparaVirar and Thane from a birdrsquoseye view ldquoThe children were always asking me if their shanties were visible from the sky so just to keep up their happiness I pointed towards a shanty area to tell them that they were flying just above their homes in Nalasopara Hearing this both the kids started to jump in joy and also waved their hands towards the shantiesrdquo he said After returning home the children narrated their experiences to their peers said Mane A 10minute ride on a helicopter costs not less than Rs 6000