Guwahati: When Samay Gogoi began rescuing stray dogs, monkeys and owls during his college days, he had no plan to become a humanitarian. Yet, years later, the 29-year-old political science graduate from Assam has built homes for 89 vulnerable people across the state, supported children’s education, arranged medical treatment and fed people in need.His journey began long before his work attracted attention on social media. During his college days, before 2018, Gogoi would bring injured or sick animals home, arrange treatment for them and vaccinate stray dogs.“There was no planning behind the humanitarian work that people talk about today. It all started during my college days when I used to rescue stray dogs, monkeys and owls, bring them home and arrange treatment for them. I also used to vaccinate stray dogs,” Gogoi said.After graduating in 2018 in Dibrugarh, Gogoi joined a leading online food ordering and quick-commerce platform when it launched services in the town in 2019. He worked part-time as a food delivery agent while preparing for state civil service examinations. He soon began using his earnings to feed hungry people.“Sometimes, I had even pay for cancelled food orders and distribute the meals among people in need. That is how it actually started. I never initially thought of recording his activities or sharing them on social media,” he said.Over the past seven years, with support from his fiancée Panjing Tumten, Gogoi has extended his work across Assam. His efforts have reached districts from Udalguri in the Bodoland Territorial Region and Nalbari in lower Assam to Tinsukia and Charaideo in upper Assam and the hilly district of Karbi Anglong.By the end of 2021, after the Covid-19 pandemic, Gogoi quit his job to devote himself entirely to humanitarian work. He launched “Project Hunor Asom” and built his first house at Pithaguti in Rajgarh, Charaideo district, after being moved by the dilapidated condition of an elderly woman’s home.“The work was not backed by any organised team or a substantial fund. In the initial days, I spent whatever money I had and sought financial help from my mother and sister to keep the work going,” he added.His work has included building houses for needy families, constructing small shops to help people become self-reliant, sponsoring medical treatment and supporting children’s education. He has also continued to feed people who cannot afford meals.Social media began playing a larger role about four years ago, when Gogoi started sharing glimpses of his activities online. The platform helped him mobilise funds and materials, he said. “I earn some money through social media, while well-wishers contribute in cash and kind. Everything is used for the social cause,” he added.The support, however, often comes after the work has already begun.Gogoi further said, “Whenever I decide to build a house for someone, I do not wait until I have the money. I simply start the work, and somehow, I manage the funds required to complete it.”“I generally target two or three houses in a month as I am doing all these things at a personal level. I won’t be able to afford if I target more houses or keep a team or staff. Sometimes my cousin helps me, and sometimes my friends join in” he said.The devastating floods that hit Sivasagar district in July prompted Gogoi to intensify his efforts there. He has built more than 30 houses for families displaced by the floods, though the exact number is yet to be counted.The assistance he provides extends beyond shelter. For the past two years, he has taken responsibility for the education of three children, arranging for their educational needs. Another girl from Karbi Anglong is also set to be enrolled in school under his initiative.For around four months, Gogoi has also been supporting the treatment of an 18-year-old boy at Assam Medical College and Hospital. “We had arranged treatment for another boy from Doom Dooma in Tinsukia district for his cornea transplant, but the procedure was unsuccessful due to certain reasons. Doctors told us that the boy had been brought for treatment too late. However, we have been providing the boy with food and other necessities,” he added.Born to Manoj Gogoi, a head clerk at a tea estate, and Purnima Gogoi, Samay lost his father in 2013. From rescuing animals to helping families struggling for basic necessities, Gogoi’s work is not measured by the number of houses he builds or the attention it receives online. It is driven by the needs of people who might otherwise have nowhere to turn.
