Siliguri based Shakti Pal, an army officer posted in Assam Tezpur, decided to serve his nation, even when away from the battleground. In addition to working as a soldier he also runs the Unique Foundation. Established three years back, his foundation contributes towards society by providing free ambulance, disaster relief and other philanthropic support.
A soldier in spirit, he wants to spend the rest of his life, post retirement, by providing service to society. Started with Pal’s individual capacity, the initiative has now been joined by doctors, school teachers, and bankers and today, the total strength stands at 40. His recent activities during the Covid times include providing free sanitization, oxygen cylinders and food for covid affected patients, while helping senior citizens consult doctors before getting vaccinated.
In a brief interview with The Optimist News, Pal opened up about his humanitarian initiatives.
His journey
“At the beginning it was only me who did all the work to get the organisation going. However, eventually the word spread around Siliguri, and we grew from strength to strength with individuals from all walks of life joining the noble cause,” notifies Pal.
The exclusivity of Unique Foundation is that Shakti Pal goes a multi pronged way in serving people in need. “I work for everything, from sheltering street people to connecting blood donors. The purpose is to serve people in all possible ways,” he informs.
Why a social worker
Since childhood, Pal was kind and helpful towards his family and friends, and in order to make others happy he would often give up his favourite possessions. Later in life as well he has continued working for people and dedicating himself fully to his NGO is what he now looks forward to. “I want to help the society, and want people to know that I am there when they need me,” Shakti emphasises.
Contacting blood donors from different places and helping those who need blood is a crucial cog of Pal’s initiative. He also has an ambulance service that comes handy when someone gets sick suddenly at night.
Moreover, whenever a family housing events or celebrations end up having leftovers, Shakti Pal and team collect and distribute it to the homeless. “In that way, neither the food gets wasted nor the street people sleep with empty stomachs,” he enthuses. However, he doesn’t stop at this; he holds hair donation sessions for cancer people and organises blind karate tournaments for the visually impaired.
Challenges
“My team members despite having their personal job are very active when it comes to the foundation. The government should come out with a holistic approach to support us. Though we face many challenges we deal with our problems together and we are moving forward. People of Siliguri support us with all their heart,” signs off Pal.
