When Compassion Meets Action
The devastating floods that swept through Punjab in August 2025 left me deeply shaken. Images of submerged homes, displaced families, and the widespread destruction haunted me. I knew I had to act – but like many of us who want to help during disasters, I wasn't sure where to begin.
The Spark of an Initiative
On August 27th, I made a decision. Instead of feeling helpless, I would channel my concern into action. My initial thought was simple: flood victims would desperately need basic medicines. But how could one person make this happen effectively?
That's when I reached out to Sartaaj Foundation, knowing their grassroots network could ensure medicines reached those who needed them most. By August 28th, I was announcing this initiative at a literary event, sending messages to groups, hoping to create ripples of support.
When "Yes" Changes Everything
August 29th brought a breakthrough. When I approached Mr. Supreet Singh, CEO of PsychoCare Health Private Limited, hoping to source medicines directly, his immediate "YES" transformed a small idea into something substantial. His team didn't just supply medicines – they guided me on what flood victims specifically needed based on ground conditions.
Together, we curated medicine boxes, each containing:
Paracetamol 650 for fever and body pain
Levivera AM for allergic reactions common in flood conditions
Pantodix DSR for digestive issues from contaminated water
Kyrogesic MR Gel for external pain relief
Clobesense Plus Cream for skin infections and rashes
Aquazinc ORS (2 sachets) for dehydration and diarrhea
10 Band-aids for minor injuries
Each box was thoughtfully designed with clear instructions in local language, ensuring even those with basic literacy could use them safely.
The Power of Collective Compassion
What happened next still overwhelms me. As word spread about these medicine boxes, support poured in from unexpected quarters. Friends, family, and even strangers wanted to contribute.
One night, my phone rang. It was Navinder Bawa, my childhood friend calling from the USA. He'd been watching flood videos from thousands of miles away, feeling helpless. When I mentioned the medicine boxes, he didn't hesitate – "Add 500 more boxes from my side," he said, transferring the amount immediately. In that moment, distance dissolved, and compassion bridged continents.
From 500 to 1,000 to 5,000
By September 9th, what started as 500 boxes had doubled to 1,000, packed meticulously into 25 cartons. The Sartaaj Foundation team transported them to the worst-hit areas – 480 boxes to Ajnala and 520 to Fazilka.
But here's where numbers transform into human stories. The volunteers didn't just distribute boxes randomly. They listened to each family's specific health concerns, providing individual medicines where needed and complete boxes to families who could store them for future use. Through this thoughtful distribution, those 1,000 boxes served over 5,000 families.
The Heroes Behind the Scenes
This initiative wouldn't have been possible without these incredible souls who believed that individual contributions, however small, could create waves of change:
Saakshi Katyal, Roohi, Sanjeev Gupta, Sonia Chauhan, Shweta Malhotra, Navinder Bawa, Satminder Kaur, Harpreet Anand, Deepinder Singh, Jotpal Singh Cheema, Cdr JP Singh, Anita Venkat Rao, Col DS Cheema, Simran Likhari, Supreet Singh and Mubarak Sandhu.
Each name represents not just financial support, but faith in collective action, trust in the process, and most importantly, love for fellow humans in distress.
A Lesson in Hope
This experience taught me something profound. We often feel overwhelmed by the scale of disasters, thinking, "What difference can one person make?" But here's the truth – every massive relief operation begins with one person saying, "I want to help."
That single thought becomes a conversation. That conversation becomes a plan. That plan attracts supporters. Those supporters multiply impact. And suddenly, what seemed impossible becomes reality.
When I started on August 27th, I never imagined that by September 19th, we'd have helped 5,000 families. I didn't know that a pharmaceutical CEO would redesign medicine boxes specifically for flood victims. I couldn't have predicted that a friend in America would double our impact with one phone call.
The floods may recede, but the lessons remain. This initiative showed me that:
Small actions create ripple effects – You don't need to be a large organization to make a difference
Collaboration multiplies impact – When individuals, businesses, and NGOs work together, magic happens
Compassion knows no boundaries – Support came from across the globe
Thoughtful help matters more than hasty help – Taking time to understand specific needs made our contribution more effective
To everyone reading this: the next time disaster strikes, remember that you're not powerless. Start where you are, with what you have. Reach out to one organization, make one call, take one step. You never know whose life you might change.
To the resilient people of Punjab who faced these floods with incredible courage – this was our small way of standing with you. Your strength inspires us to do more, be more, and never stop believing in the power of community.
To Sartaaj Foundation and PsychoCare Health Private Limited – thank you for turning individual concern into collective action.
And to everyone who contributed, supported, and believed in this initiative – you've proven that humanity's greatest strength lies not in avoiding disasters, but in how we come together when they strike.
This isn't the end. It's just the beginning of what we can achieve when we refuse to be bystanders to suffering. The floods of 2025 tested Punjab's resilience, but they also revealed something beautiful – the unstoppable force of human compassion when it transforms into action.
Together, we are stronger. Together, we heal. Together, we rise.
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