In the beautiful city of Kolkata, in the heart of Howrah, is a slum called Tikiapara where the noise of gully wars breaking out were common in the neighbourhood. Children were out of school, and unemployed youth were peddling drugs, generations resigned to a bleak future without much to look forward to.

In the beautiful city of Kolkata, in the heart of Howrah, is a slum called Tikiapara where voices of homes readying for school are common in the neighbourhood.  Children rushing to school, youth planning for careers, young women taking charge of their future with so much to look forward to.

This is the story of Mamoon Akhtar and his Samaritan Help Mission.

Mamoon bhai as he is lovingly called, is an ordinary man with extraordinary belief in goodness, compassion, and service.  I had the good fortune of visiting his school, his community and his wonderful Samaritan Help Mission many years ago.  I had the good fortune to witness what a true community movement really looks like, and how one man can indeed bring about a big change.

Young Mamoon grew up with a father who was a fabricator but had lost his job and a mother who was a nurturer to her five children amidst the destitution in Tikiapara.