News in Hindustan TImes about distribution of old cycles to needy students of Shahapur

Following news appeared in ht live Thane - Mulund dt.9th Jan. 2010.

These boys were very very HAPPY.

Hats off to our press reporter friends, all DONORS and Karyakartas of Vidyadan Sahayyak Mandal, Thane for making this possible.

News in Prahaar about Cycle Distribution

Following news article appeared in PRAHAAR dt. 8th Jan.2010.

Distribution of old cycles to students from Shahapur, Thane

Giving below in brief about this programme.

On 3rd Jan. 2010, ( Savitribai Phule Jayanti ) Shri. Subhash Harad arranged a function of Distribution of cycles ( old but in working condition ) collected by Vidyadan Sahayyak Mandal, Thane to needy students from Shahapur Taluka @ Shah Chandulal Sarupchand Vidyalaya, Kinhavali, Tal. Shahapur, Dist. Thane.

We have distributed 30 cycles .

Following Karyakartas of Vidyadan Sahayyak Mandal, Thane were present

1. Mr.Satyajit A Shah
2. Mrs. Swati Agate
3. Mrs. Geeta Naik
4. Dr. Prasad Karnik
5. Mr. Dyaneshwar Pashte
6. Mr. Avinash Chandekar



In the following photo you can see the students, their parents present for this function



Following housing societies, individuals donated their cycles ;

1. Hyde Park Regency C.H.S. , Ghodbunder Road ................. 8 cycles
2. Swastik Garden , Pokhran Road. no.2 .............. 5 cycles
3. Tarangan II CHS Ltd., .............. 7 cycles
4. Ms. Smita Abhyankar - Nilgiri , Gawand Baug, Upwan .............. 3 cycles
5. Mr. D S Wavhal Kalwa .............. 1 cycle
6. Mr. Anil Mangalwedhe, Mulund .............. 1 cycle
7. Mr. Vasant Gunjal, Chendani Koliwada, Thane West .............. 1 cycle
8. Ms. Menon - Ravi Estate .............. 1 cycle
9. Ms. Poonam Deo - Ravi Estate .............. 1 cycle
10. Mrs. Tanuja S Naik - Khopat .............. 1 cycle
11. Mr. Vikas Patankar - Garden Estate .............. 1 cycle

I would like to inform you that , Mr. Anand Nandi of Hare Krishna Cycle Mart, Vikas Palms has helped a lot in collecting cycles from Hyde Park and Tarangan and getting them repaired in shortest possible period. He took cost of accessories / spare parts which were replaced by him and gave concession in the labour charges. This is the biggest benefit of an appeal in print media.

Our NGO, will be issuing Certificate of Appreciation to all Housing Socieites and individuals, who has donated cycles.

I would like to inform you that all these cycles donated by donors were old, but duly repaired and in good working condition.

This repair was done by donors at their own cost .

In the following picture you can see some of the beneficiary students with cycles and with KARYAKRTAS of Vidyadan Sahayyak Mandal, Thane.



Following picture shown all these happy students returning to their home with smiling
face.



Once again we would like to thank all donors and KARYAKRTAS of Vidyadan Sahayyak Mandal, Thane to make this mission successful.

News in LOKMAT dt. 11th Dec. 2009 about Cycle Donation

This is the news published in LOKMAT dt. 11th Dec. 2009 about donation of used cycles by Vidyadan Sahayyak Mandal, Thane

New in DNA of 5th Dec. 2009 about donation of old cycles

Following news appeared in DNA dt. 5th Dec. 2009 about donation of old cycles to students of Vidyadan Sahayyak Mandal, Thane.

Please note that there are 4 / 5 mistakes in this news, which are beyond my control .

News in H.T. 28th Nov. 2009 about Cycle Donation

A Student of Birla College, Prakash Gaikwad, used to walk nearly 3 km from his hostel in Shahapur to Asangaon Railway Station to board a bus to Kalyan.
Not anymore. He now pedals to the station and wraps up his otherwise tiring commute in 10 minutes.
"I used to spend Rs 350 to Rs 400 over rickshaw or bus fares per month," said Gaikwad (18), a student of first year microbiology in Birla College. "Now I can save the money as the members of the Vidyadan Sahayak Mandal have given me a bicycle."

The mandal comprising a group of Thane residents was formed in August 15, 2008.
Members foot the education bill of at least one student studying in the remote areas of Thane district. The group recently collected nine second-hand bicycles from Thane, repaired them and gave them to students from Shahapur.

Six bicycles were given to schoolstudents in Kinhavli who walk 6 km daily to reach their schools.

Suhas Chandekar, a member of the organisation, collected seven cycles from his area and gave them to needy students from Thane.

"It all started with vacating our Saket Towers co-operative Housing Society premises of old rusty bicycles," said Chandekar.

"There were about seven abandoned or rusting old bicycles. We put up notices asking their owners to either remove them or clean them," he said.

"We earlier thought of giving them to a scrap dealer. Then I chanced upon an article about a person who collects old bicycles and gives them to the poor and needy. We too, thought of doing the same," he said.

Praveen Padwal, another student, said: "I am a resident of Mallegaon which is 20 km from Shahapur. I got hostel accommodation in Shahapur. But since my college is in Kalyan, I have to travel all the way from Shahapur to Asangaon which means a lot of money for people like us."

"With my new bicycle, I can cover the distance in no time and can save the money too," said Padwal.

Students, who live in the interiors, are asked to drop out of school because their parents feel they can't afford the travel fare.

Satyajit Shah, a member of the organisation, said: "Most students had to walk for 6 km Many of them stay 20 km further in Shahapur. They either have to travel by a bus or an autorickshaw. Their parents feel they can't afford the travel fare and ask them to quit school."

"When we distributed first nine cycles we got 50 more requests. We have now approached people to donate their old bicycles to us," he said