Author:
Publication: The Times of India
Date: July 13, 2006
Introduction: All in a day's work: Somnath
Julka gave away Rs 2.75 lakh to needy people at Sion Hospital on Tuesday evening
Standing at the makeshift information counter
at Sion Hospital, Somnath Julka was not looking for any injured relatives.
He was simply lending a hand-monetarily and otherwise. Standing guard all
night, Julka not only helped people look for their kin but also gave out Rs
2.75 lakh by way of cash and medicines to the needy.
"Many people rushed here to see their
relatives as soon as they got the news on Tuesday, but they did not have enough
cash on them," said an assistant doctor at Sion Hospital. "So Julka
paid for several medical bills as also many crucial and expensive injections
that had to be administered to most patients who complained of hearing problems."
He had no motive for the good deed, only a
simple explanation. "I have no more duties to perform in life, so I've
taken up new ones," said Julka who lives across the road and recently
married off his only daughter. The transport company he runs has a dozen branches
across the country and Julka, in a lighter vein, said that Tuesday's tragedy
had put some of his wealth to good use.
By evening, Julka had arranged for six ambulances
for people who had to transport bodies to Vasai and Virar. And handing over
tips of Rs 500 to hospital group D employees, Julka shook hands with them
and commended them for a job well done.
"At the end of the day, if I can save
even one life, I can die in peace," he said. Apart from the financial
help, Julka also helped relatives scan the lists of patients and locate their
wards. He also accompanied some women who had to identify their husbands bodies
in the morgue. Each time people asked him who he was, he simply answered,
"A human being."
