Mangesh Ahiwale, a vada pav seller who earned praise from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday after contributing Rs 20,000 towards drought relief, said he plans to do more now. The man from Satara who runs a vada pav stall at Elphinstone road (west) said he felt encouraged by Mr Fadnavis’ words and would try to donate Rs 1 lakh in the future.
Mr Fadnavis had taken to Twitter to highlight Mr Ahiwale’s contribution to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. “I appreciate his sensitivity towards society. Really touched by his kindness” the CM had said.
Mr Ahiwale, 38, is the sole earning member in his family of six. He lives in Edewala chawl in Elphinstone with his parents, wife, and two children. “I am a B.Com graduate and was working in a private company three years ago, but I left it,” he said. The job as depot manager in a tea company in Bhiwandi used to consume 14 hours of his day, paid poorly, and left him unsatisfied. After quitting, he started selling vada pav. He spends around seven hours a day selling vada pav, and says he earns between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 a month.
“All over India, our state is infamous for having the most farmer suicides. We get our food because they toil in the farms. It pained me on a daily basis after reading about the suicides and finally my frustration came out in me lending a helping hand,” he said.
For his fund-raising effort, Mr Ahiwale managed to convince his suppliers to waive off their profit margins. He then dropped his vada pav price from Rs 12 a piece to Rs 5 for a day, and announced he would donate his entire earnings for the day, October 16, to drought relief. He was able to raise Rs 20,000, for which he presented a cheque for the amount to the CM on Wednesday.
