The man who Embraced HEROISM as a Personality
An idol isn’t just someone who plays, acts, or rules; a hero isn’t just someone who validates good deeds or fights crimes on-screen. In today’s day, it wouldn’t be wrong to replace words like “idol” and “hero” with the name that has made a place in every Indians’ heart, Sonu Sood. The actor, who has won praise for playing several negative characters in movies, has embraced heroism as a personality than a mere portrayal of stories to win fans.
The forty-seven-year-old philanthropist, humanitarian, producer, and actor who rose to fame in 1999 has become the man of the hour and the man the nation needs at a time when the world is still struggling with the pandemic. With the mounting Covid-19 cases, India gave birth to a fighter who shattered the layers of concealing make-up and adorned the cape of intrepidness. Sonu became the ray of hope, the last resort for many people amid all the vulnerability.
Sood was always a philanthropist by heart. But the lockdown, the deaths, and the misery of the migrant laborers crushed his spirit. It all started when a poor woman in Mumbai ran to Sonu and his friend Neeti Goel. She showed them an empty vessel in which she pretended to cook food, so her children would sleep, knowing that their mother is making food arrangements. That incident unleashed the Sonu Sood we see today. Those kids didn’t sleep hungry, and since then, countless people have received help from this child of God.
Alongside making food available to people across the nation in this situation that seemed like a war against humankind by invisible monsters, Sonu’s Ghar Bhejo Campaign became one of the most visible initiatives of altruism. The record has it that he sent home around 7.5 lakh migrant laborers by December 2020. People from across the nation reached out to the beau ideal of compassion. Some have even gone to call him their “God” or the “messiah of migrants,” and while he humbly rejects the idea of his comparison to the supreme power, the phrase messiah of migrants is a richly-deserved title.
Be it arranging buses, convincing the government to provide permission to migrate people stuck far from their homes without jobs, or making sure students living far from their parents could reach home safely, Sonu accomplished it all, and how! When people use expressions like “a man who needs no introduction,” it doesn’t apply to people like Sonu Sood. There aren’t many like him, and the exemplary human that he is, deserves every introduction possible, so people know who they should really look up to.
Years ago, Sonu left Punjab with dreams in his eyes. Little did he know then that he would become the man who would wipe tears off other’s eyes one day. One of his other initiatives includes feeding thousands of hungry people who lost their jobs after the outbreak of the virus. He launched the Shakti Annadanam initiative in the name of his late father, Shakti Sagar Sood, which feeds over forty-five thousand people in Mumbai.
Lakhs of health workers globally have worked tirelessly to save the lives of those gasping for breath and life in the past year and a half. But their extreme exposure to patients made situations more daunting, with a shortage of PPE kits, masks, and face shields to protect these corona warriors. Sonu stepped in, providing all of these facilities to our corona warriors. Not just did he open his heart towards the woe of these warriors, but he also opened the doors to his hotel in Juhu, which became a safe resting place for the health workers. Several such doctors and nurses heaved a sigh of relief when they had a place to stay than going home and imperiling other family members.
Sonu’s righteous deeds have helped people get through the two strong covid waves that we’re all still struggling to move beyond. While many spent their special days like birthdays and anniversaries sharing pictures of house parties and home-cooked meals, this man with a plan didn’t stop even on his birthday. On his fortyseventh birthday in 2021, Sonu launched a mobile application called Pravasi Rojgaar for job seekers across the nation. What makes this app special is that it provides job opportunities for skilled workers and migrant laborers.
During the launch of this app, Sonu announced his mission of providing jobs for over three-lakh people across the nation. Renowned companies like Trident, Portea, Amazon, CITI, etc., have joined hands with him in this endeavor, taking him one step closer to achieving the dreams that arise straight from the heart.
In early July 2021, Sonu’s statement, “The biggest charity today is to give jobs,” went viral. Following the footsteps of the quote, “Charity begins at home,” he is already walking on this virtuous path.
Despite becoming a megastar in the movie world, Sonu Sood’s journey as a philanthropist is nonpareil. The Sood Charity Foundation continues to thrive in helping people with a team spread pan India. His humility in personally responding to people’s tweets, messages, and calls became the talk of the town. It started feeling like every time one felt distressed, they chanted Sonu’s name, and he wasn’t unavailable to any of those cries. From providing cattle, smartphones for home classes, opening training institutes for women, funding health treatments for the needy, being there for farmers, or simply being a selfless human, he has done it all.
In an age when we recognize a hero with his performance on screen, six-packs, and killer smiles, Sonu Sood has manifested himself as the reminder of a hero’s most veritable definition. When we remember a celebrity’s life stories, we mainly dedicate it to their professions. But Sonu’s story of embracing heroism as a personality is and will always be about what he has done for people. His actions have spoken louder than all the words that trolled against him.
Sonu Sood is India’s pride, an inspiration, and the icon the youth needs!
