Bengaluru: A resident of Girinagar was getting ready to donate Rs 25,000 to a religious centre (mutt) to commemorate his grandfather’s death anniversary. However, when he read a Times of India report titled ‘Beyond Politics: CMO, MLA team up to aid amputee student’ on Tuesday’s edition, he decided to donate the same amount to the family of Kusumanjali, an amputee from Chinnanaganahalli near KGF in Kolar district, who is undergoing medical treatment in Bengaluru.TOI reported how the class 10 student had to undergo an amputation after she was hit by a tractor last year. Her medical expenses then, along with the ongoing treatment for her bone infection, drained the family of its financial resources. On Monday, Rajajinagar MLA (BJP) S Suresh Kumar and the chief minister’s office came together to help the family with the medical bills.“Every year, I donate money in my grandfather’s name to a mutt. Today, when I read about Kusumanjali and her family, I felt this was a much better cause to donate to. I collected the family’s details and sent them Rs 25,000. We should encourage such students, as it is the collective failure of society that has left her in this state. I also spread the word in our group called ‘Spandana’, which has 120 members. Each of us donates Rs 1,000 every month to help poor families in need. Many of them also donated money to the family, and we will collectively donate around Rs 50,000 for the girl’s medical treatment by Wednesday,” the donor said.Good Samaritans across Bengaluru donated Rs 65,000 to Kusumanjali’s family by Tuesday evening — a significant amount for her father, who is financially exhausted. “At a time when we were staring at a crisis, we are grateful for the help coming our way. I will not spend this money on anything other than her treatment and will save any excess for her education,” her dad Shankar said.Lauding the spirit of Bengaluru, Suresh Kumar said he was positively overwhelmed by the response of the people. “Many told me that they are helping the family financially, and we are expecting at least Rs 1 lakh more to reach the family by tomorrow,” he said.Meanwhile, Kusumanjali will be shifted from the private hospital where she is currently admitted to the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, a govt facility, where her treatment will continue free of cost.
