Let there be light: HIV shelter home inmates celebrate uninterrupted Diwali

Ravi Bapatle started Happy Indian Village in 2006

After a wait of 14 long years, HIV orphans celebrated Diwali this year without powercut at the Happy Indian Village (HIV) in Hasegaon, Ausa Taluka, located 16 km from Latur. The credit goes to a Good Samaritan and a charitable trust based in Mumbai, that provided them with solar panels for free.

But the real hero is Ravi Bapatle, 45, who runs Sevalay (a project started for HIV minors) and Happy Indian Village (for adults). His story has been inspiring many across India. Bapatle claims he was boycotted by his family and villagers after he performed the last rites of an orphan child who died of HIV in 2006. After that incident, Bapatle dedicated his life to HIV orphans. "For the first time this year, we did not face any power failure. Earlier, we used to end up having dinner using kerosene lamps and candles. This Diwali was brighter for sure," Bapatle said.

For several years now, the NGO members have been facing power cut for close to 10 hours every day. They were almost used to spending most nights in the dark. But this has now become a thing of the past, thanks to Krishna Mahadik, a social worker from Mumbai, who visited Happy Indian Village a few months ago on the occasion of a mass wedding ceremony in the area. Mahadik was moved after witnessing the dedicated work at Sevalay and Happy Indian Village.

"I expressed my desire to provide assistance in resolving the frequent power problem faced by the shelter home. Accordingly, I spoke to members of the Suman Ramesh Charitable Trust in Mumbai and they were kind enough to accept my request. They then sponsored setting up solar panels for the shelter home," shared Mahadik.

Orphans between the age group of 6 and 18 years and adults above 18 years of age stay at Bapatle's shelter home free of cost. "Since ours is a licensed shelter home, the child welfare committee refers abandoned orphans to us from Mumbai, Pune, rest of Maharashtra, Karnatak and Orissa," informed Bapatle.

Bapatle has ensured that the orphans reveived education at Zilla Parishad schools. A female student has recently enrolled for a nursing course. Those who have studied only till Class X continue to work and stay in the shelter. Not a single child at the home has lost his or her life to the condition, Bapatle tells us. "None of them contracted Covid-19 during the pandemic. In fact, a couple, both HIV patients, got married and their newborn is healthy and HIV negative," he said.