Naveen Mahato
My SaathNirbhar Story:
One of the thousands of youth leaders from the vartaLeap ComMutiny ecosystem, 23-year old Naveen Kumar Mahato from Rugridih village in Jamshedpur put his heart, body and soul to minimise discrimination, casteism and “COVID paranoia” for the transgender community with support from People from Change. Being a pansexual from a marginalised community, Naveen has faced discrimination at every step of his life. During the first wave of COVID-19, when he heard of transgenders living in sub-human conditions with no work and urgent need of medicines, food, masks, and money, he donned a PPE kit and made daily trips to locations in and around Jamshedpur taking whatever came through donations. To optimise time, he requested a neighbour, an autorickshaw driver to take him for rounds. When he was unavailable, Naveen borrowed a TVS scooty with an attached cart from a construction site and loaded sacks of grains. Naveen went where no one was ready to go, overcoming a dark side of the pandemic; truly exhibiting how survival and wellbeing are not just individual but are equally collective and interdependent.
About Me:
Naveen Kumar Mahato (23) is a young farmer from a marginalized caste background who identifies as a pansexual. Despite facing caste, class & gender barriers, he sees prosperity in what he has and believes that irrespective of their circumstances, everyone, especially young people have a lot to give to their communities. An active volunteer with People For Change, Naveen has been leading the distribution of ration and medicine kits for the transgender communities and delivery of oxygen cylinders to COVID-19 patients across Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. He has shown exemplary compassion by engaging in relief work to help the communities that have historically ostracized his by treating them as untouchables.
