I've never asked a single penny for myself, says ailing professor who begs in order to educate poor kids

Professor Sandeep Desai (55), a familiar face on Mumbai's local trains for the last five years, has not been able to go on his rounds, asking for donation to educate underprivileged children. Twenty days back he was diagnosed with swine flu and was even hospitalised.

"I returned home from hospital eight days back. Salman Khan's Being Human organisation and Fortis Hospital's Foundation helped me in clearing my medical expenses. However, soon, I will be admitted again because I have to undergo an angioplasty. Till date, I have never asked a single penny for myself. I will still be content if people only continue donating for the education of poor children."

Desai's dream was to give free education to children in rural areas through active participation from society. That is how he came up with the idea of asking for donations on local trains five years ago. Back then, it was a new concept for commuters, but Desai got several positive responses from people right from Day 1 of his endeavour.

"I am just following the RTE Act. It states that every child aged between six and 14 is entitled for free and compulsory education. Most of the children living in villages do not have access to proper education. Somehow, I managed to convey my honest intentions to commuters and, hence, they were very forthcoming," he said.

Desai, along with his mother, started a school for slum children in Goregaon in 2006. The school was run by the profits they earned from the Shloka Missionaries Charitable Trust, which he started in May 2001. Desai said, "The Goregaon school had to be shut down in 2013. All students were transferred to other high schools in the same locality. At present, we have three schools in Rajasthan, one in Umarkhed and one is coming up in Ratnagiri."

Desai added that he has managed to collect over Rs1 crore since 2010 just by asking for donations at different railway stations. "I used to go and stand at stations daily. Soon, commuters started recognising me. It was difficult convincing them about my vision and how I planned to execute it but then, once I started showing them proof of the schools I had built, it got easier," he recalled. "Now, there are so many ways of getting in touch with people, thanks to social media. Recently, an anonymous person messaged me, saying he has transferred Rs5,000 into the trust's account. He said he had seen our Facebook page and wanted to extend a helping hand."

Talking about the turning point in his life, when he decided to start his own school, Desai said, "I was a professor at SP Jain Management Institute in Andheri. While going through a project report made by students on different topics related to rural areas, I found out that education was the main sector that needed to be tackled. My mother was a teacher, who taught children from underprivileged backgrounds; she encouraged me, saying we should start a school for the children for free."

However, the road to achieving his dream was a tricky one. Desai faced several difficulties in trying to collect money for his project. "Once, in 2011, the Railway Police Force (RPF) objected to my asking for donations on the train, saying I was begging. They took me to the magistrate. In my defence, I said that I have a registered NGO and, according to rules, I can ask for money anywhere. Beggars beg for themselves and I am not asking money for myself. Nevertheless, I was asked to pay a fine of Rs350, after which I was let go. Again, five months back, the RPF stopped me for the same reason. This time, I refused to pay fine and filed a court case on the issue. The next date of hearing is October 9," he said.

If you wish to donate to the Shloka Missionaries Charitable Trust, here are the details:
Name of trust: Shloka Missionaries Charitable Trust
Bank: Bank of India
Branch: Goregaon (West), Mumbai
Account number: 002210100040149
IFSC Code: BKID0000022