Mumbai:
Social media influencer and social activist Hussain Mansuri once again won widespread admiration after a heartfelt interaction with a group of visually impaired students from Pune who travelled to Mumbai solely to meet him. Mansuri’s warmth and personal involvement during the meeting left the students deeply moved.
Ashish Tukaram Gorathkar, a second-year student of SP College, Pune, along with four of his friends from the Prerana Association for the Blind, came to Mumbai with the hope of meeting Mansuri. Ashish, a native of Tembhurni village in Naigaon taluka of Nanded district, shared the experience in an interview with Awaz – The Voice Marathi.
Recounting the incident, Ashish said that when they contacted Mansuri while waiting at a railway station in Mumbai, he arrived within minutes. “He spoke to each of us with great affection, enquired about our health and education, and was genuinely happy that we had come to meet him,” Ashish said.
Mansuri not only spent time interacting with the group but also arranged food for them and insisted they eat together despite them having already eaten earlier. He listened attentively to their struggles and aspirations, especially focusing on their academic journeys.
Before parting ways, Mansuri extended financial help to the students and personally escorted them to Dadar railway station, ensuring they safely boarded a train to Andheri. “He told us he considers us like his younger brothers,” Ashish added.
Known for his philanthropic work, Hussain Mansuri has earned respect across the country for his humanitarian efforts beyond social media influence. Coming from a humble background, Mansuri supported himself as a waiter while completing his education, an experience that shaped his deep empathy for people from all walks of life, irrespective of religion or background.
His social initiatives range from providing financial assistance to cancer patients at Tata Memorial Hospital to respectfully immersing abandoned religious images found on the streets. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his food distribution and medical aid initiatives benefitted thousands and are still fondly remembered.
With over one crore followers on social media, Mansuri is followed not merely for entertainment but for his socially conscious message. He has expressed a desire to establish a charitable trust focused on cancer care and education for underprivileged children.
The Prerana Association for the Blind, established in 2003, has been working for the welfare of visually impaired individuals in Maharashtra for over two decades, particularly in the Pune region. The organisation’s secretary, Satish Navale, is also visually impaired.
One of the association’s most notable initiatives is “Diwali with Soldiers on the Border,” under which visually impaired members visit Indian soldiers posted at border areas, including Siachen, every Diwali to gift them traditional festive snacks collected from across Maharashtra. The organisation also runs a disability centre in Karad, offering free vocational courses to help blind and disabled individuals become self-reliant.
Mansuri’s recent interaction with the Pune students once again highlighted how genuine compassion and personal connection can leave a lasting impact, reinforcing his reputation as a true people’s hero.