Cradling her baby sister in her arms and feeding her milk, a seven-year-old girl in Darjeeling appealed to people to save her ailing mother, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The heart-wrenching images, beamed on a TV channel that spoke to Shivani Tamang, 7, earlier this week have moved hill residents to come forward to wipe her tears.
People from all walks of life — from government employees to members of social organisations to residents of monasteries — have pooled in over Rs 1.2 lakh in the past three days for the treatment of Sarina Tamang, who has suffered brain haemorrhage and is admitted to a nursing home in Siliguri.
Sarina was found unconscious by her husband Binod, a labourer, when he returned home from work on July 6. Only Shivani and her seven-month-old sister Aisha were at home at Middle Samalbung near Bijanbari.
Binod, who does not have a steady source of income and has built a house on land donated by a generous villager, rushed Sarina, 34, to the Bijanbari block health centre.
“They said she was fine and gave her medicines. She, however, did not feel well and in the evening I took her to a hospital in Darjeeling. She was then referred to a nursing home in Siliguri,” Binod said.
He said Sarina had suffered a brain haemorrhage and that a surgery had been performed.
“For long, she used to complain of headache but would be fine after taking medicines,” Binod said. “She has high blood pressure but doctors had told her not to take medicines (for hypertension) at such a young age,” Binod said.
A social organisation at Bijanbari, the Nawa Jyoti Sangh, arranged for Rs 80,000 to take Sarina to Siliguri and cover the initial medical expenses.
“Their relatives had approached us for help,” said Kiran Rai, chairman of the Darjeeling-based Manav Mukti Trust.
Himali, a TV channel, visited Binod’s house earlier this week with office-bearers of the trust. In a video aired by the channel, Shivani appealed to people to “save my mother”, weeping uncontrollably.
“It was such a heart-wrenching appeal,” said Biwas Lohar, a resident of Darjeeling.
Soon after the channel aired the footage and it was widely shared on social media, help started pouring in.
Rai of the Manav Mukti Trust said: “In three days, we have collected Rs 1.24 lakh. Our target is to collect Rs 6 lakh.”
From employees working in government departments to senior citizens and hotel employees, many have pitched in.
“We have come from Man Kazi Gumba (monastery) at MP Road in Darjeeling. Our members want to contribute Rs 10,000,” said a member of the monastery.
A woman said outside the office of the Manav Mukti Trust that she had brought Rs 2,350 pooled by employees of the animal husbandry department in Darjeeling.
Help has also come from Darjeeling expats living in Israel.
“Doctors are hopeful that Sarina will recover,” Rai said.
Shivani, who studies in Class I at Notre Dame Primary School, and Aisha are now staying with relatives.