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Nitin Agarwal
- How did you become a social activist?
It is not a deep-rooted story really; this is something that became a part of my routine. I was always taught to go to ashrams or places and make donations of clothes, books, or anything once a year. I have been doing that and then it just escalated. Instead of donating my things, I started distributing the necessities to help as many people as I could. After this, I took charge of various other ongoing initiatives like organizing monthly blood donation drives, distributing sanitary napkins to rural women, cleanliness drives, etc.
- Which initiative do you strongly support?
I feel very strongly that everyone should at least be able to fill up their stomach before going to bed. This is because I know that most of these people are trying their best to earn a sustainable living but things like rent, utilities, education of their children, etc. gulp a big chunk of their income. To them, I want to lend a hand and provide meals of proper nutritional value.
- Share your thoughts on the stigma of sanitary pads?
Having personally distributed more than 10 lakh sanitary pads door-to-door, I think the stigma is dying. I am not saying we have won the battle even by 50% but still there has been a major improvement. Women now, while standing on their door freely took out their hand when Sanitary napkins were being handed over, earlier they would have not even opened the door.
- How can individuals contribute to societal welfare?
It is not about spending thousands of rupees or going around the city taking care of every individual. I believe if everyone just took care of their neighborhood, the country will be on a fast-track in the development cycle. In a colony, every house can turn by turn go and distribute food and basic hygiene products to the under-privileged in their area and that is all it will take. Eventually, these people will grow accustomed to a certain standard of living and work harder to be able to afford them on their own.
