Thane district homemaker makes Diwali special for villagers in Murbad

Good Samaritan from Murbad in Thane district, homemaker Urmila Late, has lent a helping hand to farmers of two tribal hamlets by distributing clothes and sweets for Diwali

More than 70% population in Murbad Taluka of Thane district are farmers. Most of them have lost their crops due to unseasonal rains and are unable to enjoy the festivities this Diwali.

Good Samaritan Urmila Late from Thane district distributes Diwali gifts to a family at Adivasi Pada of Murbad. (HT PHOTO)

A Good Samaritan from Murbad, homemaker Urmila Late, 42, however, has now lent a helping hand to some of them. Along with her husband, Late has distributed clothes and sweets to more than a hundred families in two of the tribal hamlets in Murbad so they do not have to get those on credit for their families.

Late has been staying in Murbad post her marriage and helps her husband in the small business of selling car batteries. She saw people suffering in this taluka since the lockdown. She has used the money saved for their children’s education and travel expenses over the last two years.

Late said, “Last year, many people lost their family members or jobs to the pandemic and hardly anyone celebrated Diwali. This year, when things are starting to return to normal and people are looking forward to a better celebration, due to unseasonal rains, most of them lost their crops. Very few were able to re-sow them and those too will have to wait for the yield. This year also, they will have to live on credit as most of their savings are spent on health and daily expenses.”

She and her husband decided that they would fulfil the Diwali needs of these families by gifting them essential items.

Late said, “We have a packet of sweets (faral) and new clothes for their families including children. We have distributed these items to two Adivasi Padas –Vanjale Vadi and Patgao – of Murbad. We have our savings for our children’s education, which we have not really used for the past three years. As all traveling expenses were also reduced, we used it for these people.”