Work will not stop, whether I am here or not: Nana Patekar refused to look away from Maharashtra’s farm crisis

Pune/Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar/Kolhapur: Everybody remembers Nana Patekar as the actor of thunderous monologues, piercing stares and charged silences. But far away from the arc lights, he spent years lending that same fierce intensity to a far greater cause — helping Maharashtra’s drought-scorched farming communities rebuild their lives.For Patekar — fondly called Nana — his deepest satisfaction didn’t come from cinema, but from helping the farmers.In an annual report of NAAM Foundation, the organisation he founded with fellow actor Makarand Anaspure in 2015, Patekar reflected on what truly mattered: “The greatest happiness came from going beyond oneself and doing something for another person. The work would never be finished. What mattered was the satisfaction of having tried hard. The rain would come too little, too much or at the wrong time. The problems would multiply, as the fight was with changing nature. But the work will not stop. Whether I am here or not.”Now, those words echo with a haunting resonance. The mission he believed would outlive him has become the strongest testament to his legacy.As drought and water scarcity continue to haunt Maharashtra, the state has lost a man who refused to see the farm crisis as someone else’s burden. He used his rare celebrity not to elevate himself, but to focus attention on the state’s most vulnerable section.For hundreds of families, Nana wasn’t a star. He was the helping hand that appeared when everything else seemed lost.The luxury car that never arrivedIt all began in 2015 when Nana was about to buy a luxury car and had even set aside Rs 1.5 crore. Then a late-night television report changed everything.It showed widows and children of farmers who had died by suicide. Shaken, he called his friend Anaspure. They split the car fund into cheques of Rs 15,000 each and gave them to the bereaved families. But the report kept haunting him. He realised charity could ease pain for a moment, but not end the crisis. That restlessness shaped his philanthropy — and turned one decision into a near folklore.What started as direct help became a larger mission — of water, education and rural rehabilitation.‘He held my daughter in his arms and gave us hope’Vimal Gaikwad from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was among the first women to receive help from NAAM Foundation. She was pregnant when her husband, a farmer crushed by drought and debt, died by suicide. “I was working as a farm worker when NAAM Foundation’s Sangita Kulkarni met me. She counselled me and told me all was not lost. Until then, nobody had spoken openly to me about my husband’s death,” Gaikwad recalled.She remembered her first meeting with Nana. “I met him when my daughter was only a month old. He held her in his arms. The foundation provided me with financial aid and helped me set up a flour mill. Eleven years later, that mill has allowed me to raise my children with dignity,” teary-eyed Gaikwad said.‘Nana changed the destiny of my family’For Vaibhav Kalyane (25) from drought-hit Latur, Nana’s intervention altered the course of his life. “The continuous drought meant our family struggled even for two square meals every day. NAAM Foundation sponsored my entire engineering education. Today, I work in an engineering firm in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar,” Kalyane, the first graduate in his family, said.“Even this year, the soybean crop on our 2.5-acre farm has failed. But as I have a stable job, my family doesn’t have to worry too much,” he said.‘It feels like losing a family member’Sachin Chavan (27) was just 14 when his father died by suicide in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. “The debt and failed crops destroyed our family. My elder brother had to abandon his education after Std XII. I would have met the same fate if NAAM Foundation had not stepped in,” he recalled.The foundation financed his engineering degree. Today, Chavan too works in the engineering sector. “When the news (of Nana’s passing) came, everyone in my office was saddened. Other actors entertained us, but Nana felt like family. For me, it feels like losing someone close all over again,” he said.Many of the students whose lives were transformed by NAAM Foundation now return as volunteers, helping others walk the same difficult path they once travelled.A lifeline after disasterWhen devastating floods submerged large parts of Kolhapur and Sangli in 2019, Nana showed up once again. Through NAAM Foundation, 40 truckloads of relief material, including food, clothes and tin sheets, were dispatched to affected areas. After the floodwaters receded, more than 4,000 volunteers helped villagers clear debris and rebuild shattered homes.Premila Bhokare from Danwad village still remembers meeting Nana at a rehabilitation camp. “I broke down when I saw him. We had lost almost everything,” she said.Nana listened quietly before replying. “You have lost nothing. Don’t cry over a house or utensils. Those can be built again,” Bhokare recalled Nana’s words, which were not mere consolation.“He helped rebuild the house. He ensured we got utensils, clothes, books and stationery for the children. Most people donate what they no longer need. Nana specifically asked people to donate new clothes, so disaster victims could preserve their dignity,” she said.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolhapur | Silver Rate in Kolhapur | Bank Holidays in Kolhapur | Public Holidays in KolhapurStay updated with the latest Kolhapur news. Download the TOI App.