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here are people who
constantly grumble for not getting an opportunity to serve the society. They
just keep waiting for an ever-elusive “right” opportunity. But here is an
individual who enjoys serving people on all possible occasions. Is he a
politician then? Nope. He is a humble man struggling to make ends meet. Still,
he finds time to serve the people around him in full earnest.
He is Ashok Charmady, Home Guards Platoon
Sergeant and In-charge Officer of the Moodbidri unit of the Home Guards. His 22
years of association with this service organization, has, in fact, been
mutually beneficial. As part of his
duties as Home Guards he has joined hands with police in maintaining law and
order on many occasions. His service was utilized in various parts of the State
during natural calamities and other disasters besides a posting at Lakshadweep
during elections. The Home Guards trainings have well equipped him to face any
challenge.
That
apart, Ashok catches snakes including the deadly king cobra. Whenever anybody
sights a snake in their house or surounding, Ashok gets a call not to kill it,
as is the usual practice, but to save both the reptile and human beings. Ashok
catches them safely and frees them in the
forest or hands them over to the authorities concerned. Unfortunately Ashok was grievously bitten by
a poisonous snake recently. Anyway that
has not wavered his zeal for the venomous creatures. But after this unfortunate incident Ashok has
developed his own method to capture the reptiles. Now he uses a metal pipe with
lids at both the ends. And this paraphernalia is a permanent fixture in his
two-wheeler. Sometimes Ashok catches snakes in different places in a single
day. He replays the feat in order to
change the fearful attitude of people towards these otherwise harmless
reptiles. He has caught about 1,000
snakes so far. He jumps into action even in unearthly hours. What started as an
act of daredevilry by the novice has made him an expert today.
Ashok, an attendant at Dhavala College,
Moodbidri in Dakshina Kannada district, is a man of all occasions and all
seasons. People in distress most of the
time send an SOS to Ashok, than to the authorities. If any building is on fire,
the first person they think of is Ashok more than firemen. If any body is
drowned Ashok is there to fish out the body. His heart goes out to the hapless
sufferers in the society. An old man who was literally leading a “dog’s life”
in Moodbidri was cleansed and admitted to a rahabilitation home, thanks to
Ashok and his like-minded friends. His O-negative blood has saved many a life.
On many occasions he has also provided whatever financial help he could to
those in distress.
Apart from these passions he is a
numismatist and philatelist. He also tries to record the wonders of nature by
collecting unusual plants, fruits and roots. . Ashok’s is a happy family with
wife Chandravati, daughter Ashwini and son Eeshanya. His 14-year-old- son
Eeshanya too is interested in his father’s feats of daring.
His sympathy and empathy for the needy
from childhood itself have made him what he is today. His selfless service to
the society, however, has not gone unnoticed. Forty-year-old Ashok was honoured
by many organizations including felicitations at the district and the State
levels. More than awards and rewards,
the smile on the relieved faces keeps him going. Ashok is literally living up to his name.
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