Moved by the plight of a girl whose father had to mortgage land to solemnise her marriage from their house which was ravaged in the April 21 storm, Sulabh International today gave Rs 5 lakh to the hapless father to help him rebuild his dwelling.
The NGO also promised to build toilet at his home as well in the girl's in-laws place.
The assistance was given to the distraught father Yogendra Biswas by founder of Sulabh International Bindeshwar Pathak at a function here.
Narrating his woes, Biswas said that marriage of his daughter Anju, a resident of Kachauli village in storm-ravaged Purnea district, was fixed with a youth of Araria district a month ago and all preparations were in place but the late night squall on Tuesday brought havoc.
The house was ravaged in the tropical storm late on Tuesday night along with several others.
Moved by the plight of the girl's family, the groom's father had offered to solemnise the marriage at a temple. But, Biswas did not agree and decided to marry his daughter from the house itself.
He mortgaged his four bigha land and raised money for the marriage which was performed last night.
After reading the news of the girl's marriage under the trying conditions, Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak announced Rs 5 lakh assistance to the distraught father, who is a landless labourer.
55 people were killed in the storm in Bihar and out of which 38 people have been killed in Purnea alone.
Pathak said his impulse forced him to help the family.
"Being a son of a farmer in Rampur Kehiyar in Vaishali district my family has experienced the pain when crops get damaged in natural calamity. I put myself in place of the father of the girl and decided to help in the time of distress," Pathak said.
On knowing from the father that he does not have toilet at home as well in the place of in-laws of the girl in Araria, Pathak assured them to build toilets at both the places with the help of his NGO.
"Sulabh will see if needed toilets would be build in other houses in the two villages in Purnea and Araria too," he said.
Biswas thanked Sulabh for the kind gesture.
"Though survey of the damaged field has been carried by the government but assistance has not reached us from the government so far. Pathak jee has come to us as an angel in the time of distress," Biswas said.
He said he would free his mortgaged land from the money he got from Sulabh and repair his damaged house.
