Express News Service
PATNA: Forty-nine-year-old Mukesh Hissariya has been receiving endless calls. With COVID-19 pandemic striking us hard, this Patna-based businessman-turned social activist has come as a messiah for the poor. Since April 2020 till this year, Hissariya has helped with the final rites of 130 coronavirus victims and 15 others. Among these, he also helped create 35 such bodies in instances where the family members of the victim did not turn up for the funeral in the fear of contracting the deadly virus.
He is known to act swiftly in cases where family members refuse to perform the final rites of the coronavirus victims.
On April 30, Mukesh sent an ambulance he has hired to transport the bodies of a retired armyman and his wife that were lying in a morgue of Danapur for two days as their only son was also battling with COVID-19 at hospital.
The Patna resident receives almost 20 calls on a daily basis seeking his help in arranging cremations of those who have succumbed to Covid. “When nobody shows up for cremating these bodies, we make sure that the final rites are done in the right manner,” he says.
“I have made arrangements to transport over 135 bodies of coronavirus victims and 15 others since last April for their final rites at Bansghat and Gulabighat in Patna.”
Hissariya has deputed Ram Pravesh at Bansghat and Bhim Kumar at Gulabighat. These two make all the arrangements for the cremations in the presence of the family members. They make sure that workers transport the bodies from ambulances and placed on the pyres before being consigned to the flames. The duo also helps family members get one last glimpse of their loved ones.
If this humane gesture weren’t enough, there is more. with the second wave claiming more lives, Hissariya has also started arranging free food for the attendants of Covid victims who have to wait for long hours for their turn.
He is also known to organise mass wedding functions with the help of the business community in Patna, and has recently formed a virtual blood bank with over 20,000 volunteers. “Service to humanity is service to mankind and when the humanity is in danger due to the pandemic, everyone should come ahead to fight it out together,” he said.
Hissariya’s kindness has also made news in the Bollywood when he was invited on the sets of Kaun Banega Crorepati where he met with veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan.
