History keeps reminding us about heroes, who, as sports-persons, entertainers, artists, warriors, administrators, etc. challenge and break the existing social evils and uplift the overall status of the society. Few days back, a widow (Sunita Kunwar) was barred by villagers from cooking mid-day meals for students at a government school in Gopalganj district, Bihar. The villagers felt that she is a bad-omen and therefore she must not be allowed to cook food for students. The villagers were worried because in 2013, 23 kids died after eating a contaminated mid-day meal in a nearby village.
As per reports published by IBN Live and local newspapers, the villagers first protested against her and later forced the school to shut down. Sunita approached Rahul Kumar, the DM of Gopalganj on Thursday. After hearing her plea, Rahul not only visited the school, but also ate the midday meal prepared by Sunita.
Sometimes u do symbolic things to overcome people’s beliefs. Asked the same widow cook to serve me the meal. pic.twitter.com/SoHXueqqRv
— DM Gopalganj (@rahulias6) December 18, 2015
Fighting some malicious intent to cover the vested interests with rumours, superstitions & social stigma @NotSoSnob pic.twitter.com/Uqr2vQYTm7
— DM Gopalganj (@rahulias6) December 18, 2015
After this, the villagers have withdrawn their protest. Sunita has been reinstated and the school has reopened.
In the time when government officers are seen with suspicion and scepticism, the District Magistrate of Gopalganj, Bihar has made the nation proud by standing against the social outlook against widows. Precisely, as tweeted by him, “Sometimes you do symbolic things to overcome people’s beliefs”
We keep bashing the government servants, but acts such as this certainly deserve applause.
