This guy plays guitar in Mumbai trains to raise money for families of cancer patients

Since 2013, 23-year-old Saurabh Nimbkar would regularly play guitar to cheer up the patients in King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital's cancer ward. Along with taking care of his mother, also a patient in the same hospital, he would use his music to cheer an otherwise sombre ward. After his mother passed away in September 2014, Saurabh used his talent to collect donations for families of cancer patients, apart from the patients themselves.

Since the last three months, at least four times in a week, Saurabh takes a train to Dadar from Ambernath and then travels back till Dombivali, playing his guitar and singing. The money he collects in a day goes to a small NGO in Thane.

On a regular day, he collects around Rs 1,000, while at the end of a good day, the amount collected goes up to Rs 2,000. "The NGO is a very small one and usually the amount I collect is only sufficient to help one family at a time. But people enjoy my music and I collect much more than a person would if he just gave a speech. People put loose change, ten rupee notes too. But sometimes, people even put 500 and 1000 rupee notes in the donation box,” says the young boy.

Saurabh agrees that the treatment is expensive and lots of patients need financial support. "Yet, the patient's family also has to go through a lot, losing out on work, mental stress, change in responsibilities and duties. Sometimes, organisations such as Tata Hospital, Being Human and schemes like Rajiv Gandhi Yojana help financially. But, the family's troubles go unseen. People living in outskirts often have to quit their jobs to take care of their ailing relative and frequenting the hospital. Many a times, the chance of being able to earn a wholesome nutritious meal seems bleak," says Saurabh.

His mother's treatment made Saurabh realise what other families of patients must feel. From there came his urge and enthusiasm to help out people with all his heart. "During my mother's treatment, families in the ward would help families, without considering the financial status of each other. Doctors would help us too. When I used to skip college to look after my mother, doctors would ask me to go and others would help to relieve me for a few hours. We would give each other our medicines when supply of medicines ran low. This is a way in which only one cancer-affected family can be with another. Nobody else can understand what we go through," says Saurabh.

Yet, Saurabh understands the hesitation or refusal in donating that he faces in trains. "Sometimes, I don't get the agenda of NGOs either. At the ward in KEM Hospital, NGOs would often come and donate badminton rackets to people who could not even move to go to the toilet. What is the point of that? However, when I used to tell my mother about wanting to go in trains and collecting donations, she was supportive. That is why; I call families associated with the NGO I work with and confirm if they are getting regular support. It often happens that people see me all the way from Ambernath till Kurla and don't donate out of apprehension. But, while deboarding, they still put some money in the box. Big artists collect donations at concerts, but my platform is the Mumbai local," he says as he smiles.

After his father went missing when he was 17-years-old, Saurabh, along with his brother were the only ones with their mother and hence, telling their mother about her condition was a struggle for them. "Till her first chemo session, we did not have the courage to tell her that she has cancer. We were not counseled and were busy fulfilling the conditions for her daily care, medication and recovery. She got better and recovered. And then, her cancer relapsed and we lost all hope. It took me six months after she passed away to realise that I must contact NGOs and work for people who still are going through the struggle I experienced then," Saurabh recalls.

He remembers his mother as a pleasant lady who was very good with kids. "Kids would love her company and would always want her attention. She was a teacher and later opened a crèche. Our house would always be full of children," he laughs.

Saurabh usually gets good response when he plays in trains. His friends often accompany him and feel his music relaxes people at the end of the day. However, recounting one of the unpleasant experiences, he says, "Once, in a crowded train, a man got aggressive and told me to stop playing. He told me that this activity is not allowed in trains and that I should go beg elsewhere. He threatened to complaint against us. We were surprised since bhajan groups sing in locals all the time. However, people handled the situation, asked me to resume my singing a few stations later and donated too.”

Even though he usually plays Bollywood songs in the train, Saurabh idolises the band Indian Ocean and wants to make music which creates an impact. He is a rhythm guitarist and vocalist in a band, which has written a song about politicians. People often listen to him in trains and contact him for shows. He donates whatever amount he gets for performing at shows too. He has also taken to social work. Currently, he works in the quality control department of a pharmaceutical company based in Ambernath and juggles his shift timings and charity work.

If you wish to offer donations, contact Saurabh on +91 91 67 608185

First published here

For more hyperlocal stories: www.iamin.in