German Bakery blast: Victim's father sponsors poor students with ex-gratia, savings

Three years ago, Kolkata-based cotton merchant Rajesh Goenka’s world turned upside down. The youngest of his three daughters, 22-year-old Shilpa, died in the blast at Pune’s German Bakery which claimed 17 lives. [caption id=“attachment_736329” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A memorial service organised after the German Bakery blast in Pune in 2010. AFP.[/caption] However, with the compensation he received, Goenka started a scholarship programme for bright students who couldn’t pay for courses in good universities in India. In an interview with The Telegraph, Goenka says:

“It’s her money, not mine. The money came to me in exchange for her life. Instead of getting too emotional, I wanted to do something worthwhile with it.”

Interestingly, the newspaper claims to have pursued Goenka for two years before he came around and decided to talk about the fund he has floated. Also, he refused to be photographed, to be identified by his locality and give away details of students sponsored by the fund. The Shilpa Goenka Foundation Trust was founded with the government compensation, the insurance cover paid by Shilpa’s employers and Goenka’s own savings. While Goenka himself refused to give out details of the students, the paper tracked down a few who are now studying at some of the best universities in India, thanks to him. A farmer’s son who studies in a medical college, a school student whose father is a rikshaw-puller and a girl who is pursuing a master’s degree in IIT. Read the complete Telegraph story here .