Young Dadar Woman Serves Tea To Police On Duty

Dnyaneshwari Velankar brings cheer to policemen working on Ganesh immersion days, New Year’s Eve

- Rachita Dabre

Policemen on duty at Marine Drive and Girgaum chowpatty every year are constantly on the lookout for a group of youngsters, milling about with smiles on their faces and kettles in their hands. These are the footsoldiers of the Cup Of Smile initiative, where they hand out a cup of tea to on-duty officials on Ganesh immersion days and New Year’s Eve.

The initiative, which enters its fifth year this time, is the brainchild of Dnyaneshwari Velankar, a Dadar resident who is all of 23 years old. A tea lover herself, Ms. Velankar hit upon the idea in 2015 and has been unfailingly executing it ever since. She, along with her friends, conducted their campaign on September 6 this year, and will be back on New Year’s Eve.

Ms. Velankar, a media professional, said the idea came to her in 2015, when she had no plans for New Year’s Eve. “I wanted to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a special way. I first approached several orphanages and old age homes to check if I could help them in any way. But I realised that my service of one day was not going to make much of a difference to their lives, and abandoned the idea.”