Filmmaker Rakesh Roshan says his wife Pinky donated Rs 10 lakh for the bariatric surgery to be performed on 36-year-old Egyptian woman Eman Ahmed Abdelaty, very quietly, and he is proud of her for it.
“I was not aware of this (the Rs 10 lakh donation). My wife Pinky did it on her own. I got to know of what she had done when journalists began inquiring about it. I was as surprised as anyone else. I called up Pinky and she confirmed the news,” Rakesh said.
Rakesh, who has been married to Pinky for 46 years, is filled with pride at his wife’s gesture.
“That she gave the money to help that distressed girl is fine. But what really touched me is that Pinky did it so quietly, without letting anyone know about. Not even me. The gesture was leaked from the hospital and that’s how the media got to know about it,” he added.
So does Rakesh feel that it’s the duty of the privileged to help the needy’
“I can’t comment on what others do or don’t do. But yes, if it is within our means, we always like to come forward in any way possible to help in a genuine cause. My wife Pinky, my daughter Sunaina and my son Hrithik are always there to support genuine charitable causes.”
Hrithik added: “It’s not nice to speak about small gestures. If some of us have the means to assuage others’ pain, why not’ I wonder why people only help others when something impacts them personally. Having means to help, and then not coming forward to help, is a sign of an insecure soul.”
Eman reached Mumbai earlier this month — thereby stepping out of her home first time in over 25 years. Considered the heaviest living human in the world, she is here for weight loss.
By Subhash K. Jha
