Assistant SI Lokeshappa lost his 3-year-old daughter to a garbage fire that broke out in police staff quarters in Bengaluru 5 years ago; now donates study materials for govt school children, equivalent to the amount that he would have spent on his daughter’s education if she were alive.
13 March, 2019, was a tragic day in the life of Assistant Police Sub-Inspector D Lokeshappa’s life when he lost his three-year-old daughter to the garbage fire that broke out in police quarters in Bengaluru.
Unable to come to terms with the loss, Lokeshappa chose a meaningful way to compensate himself by helping over 600 government school children every year in memory of his daughter.
On March 5, 2019, Harshali, daughter of Lokeshappa and Sudhamani was playing with her ball on the police staff quarters premises located in Shivajinagar. While her father was at work in Vidhana Soudha, around 5 pm he received the most unexpected call that Harshali has sustained over 60 per cent burn injuries in the garbage fire accident.
Harshaali was rushed to Victoria Hospital where she was treated for the next few days before she succumbed to burn injuries on March 13.
“I was unable to digest the fact that I will not be able to see my daughter any more. It was traumatic for her and me as well. She was being treated in the burning ward and was screaming ‘Appa’ (father) whenever she saw me which I cannot digest to this day and she suffered a lot before her death,” recalls the 43-year-old.
After his daughter’s death, a mentally shattered Lokeshappa was confined to his house for two months. “It was my wife who tried to console me as our other daughter was just six months old then. I had no choice but to return back to work but I did not want to go to the same police quarters. My department had allotted me quarters in Binnypet,” says Lokeshappa who opens up about how he came out of the pain.
It was then he decided to do something in his daughter’s name. Donate study materials for government school children, equivalent to the amount that he would have spent on his daughter’s education.
“If my daughter was alive, I would have spent at least Rs 50,000 – Rs 70,000 for her education. The same money I spend for poor children. Before the start of every academic year, we provide the children with the required materials. At least 500-600 children from five government schools benefit out of this,” he says.
The police officer zeroed in on five schools – a government school in Dhodda Hosuru in Mysuru district which has many tribal children, Jodi Gubbi government school in Hassan district, government school at Kodigehalli in Bengaluru, and two others in Jannavara and Valehalli in Hassan districts for his charity work. “While I spend about 70,000 every year, some of my colleagues, family members and friends also contribute for the cause and every year we spend about Rs 1.5- Rs 2 lakh,” Lokeshappa reveals.
Mary Stella, a teacher with the Dhodda Hosuru school, recalls how the charity activities have helped her students. “Many of the students come from Haadis (hamlets) and belong to tribal communities. There is a Tibetian camp here and these students used to wait for some visitors to throw a used water bottle on roadside (mineral water bottle) to reuse it. We insisted them not to take them. Lokeshappa donated proper school water bottles to all the 120 children here. This comes besides, geometry boxes, notebooks and pencils. They no longer pick those water bottles,” smiles Mary Stella.
Government schools in Bengaluru are fraught with problems as well. The Kodigehalli government school sees a lot of migrants from north Karnataka and north India who require support. “From Classes 1 to 5, we provide pencils, geometry boxes and box notebooks. From Class 5 to 10, we provide pens and notebooks according to their demands,” Lokeshappa says.
Every year, the police officer and his family celebrate Harshaali’s birthday at orphan houses. “The Rotary Club near Cubbon Park has given us space for free for a day to hold an event, he says.
Lokeshappa is currently the assistant sub-inspector at Shivajinagar women’s police station in Bengaluru.
source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)