NRI couple donates Rs1 lakh to Sunny’s family for house repairs

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 9

“Nobility has no geography and it knows no boundaries,” these anonymous inspirational words find perfect resonance with a Germany-based NRI couple’s selfless act of generosity. Shraddha Shukla Sathe and Shreyas Sathe have donated Rs1 lakh to family members of Indian Idol contestant Sunny for carrying out repairs in his house. Notably, Sunny, who was a shoeshiner from Bathinda, had hogged limelight after making it to Indian Idol.

The couple, who originally hails from Nagpur, recently contacted the maternal uncle of Sunny through a social networking platform. They expressed willingness to donate money for carrying out the repair work in Sunny’s house. Talking to The Tribune over phone, Shraddha, who is a marketing manager in Berlin, said, “I was appalled to see the dilapidated condition of Sunny’s house in one of the videos. It was shocking to discover that on one hand people have been listening to his songs, cheering him up and voting for him while on the other not even a single person came forward to help out his family.”

“There are no doors in the house and his mother was shivering in cold while sleeping at night. Amid all celebrity talk and appreciation, the situation of Sunny’s family has barely changed at the grassroots level. His family continues to live in deleterious conditions till now. My husband and I spoke to Sunny’s father and donated Rs1 lakh to carry out the repair work in their house in Bathinda. Initially, doors will be installed. Thereafter, money will be spent on tiles, gate, fencing and cement plastering. Later, we will give money for renovation of the house,” she added.

She said they would soon come to India and meet Sunny and his family.

Notably, Sunny’s family members, including his mother and three sisters, put up in a ‘vehra’— a small kutcha house — at Amarpura Basti. The repair work has started and work of cement plastering has been completed in one of the rooms in the house. Sunny has cleared initial rounds of the show. Now, he is among the top six contestants.

Sunny’s mother Soma said, “I am really grateful to the family from Germany who has given us money for carrying out repairs in our house. The lady’s gesture was humane when she told me that treat her as one of her daughters from now on. There was a sense of belongingness in her voice.”

Vijay Kumar, maternal uncle of Sunny, said, “After seeing the popularity of Sunny, I had created a YouTube channel — Sunny Star Bathinda — on the advice of our one of the relatives. On the channel, we have uploaded videos of family and his performances in Indian Idol. The couple took a note of the video and contacted us.”

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.