Prompt action to stranded tourists’ distress call
Auckland Marathi Association’s willingness to respond with urgency and go the extra mile to help a stranded group of Indian doctors touring New Zealand and Australia has been praised and acknowledged by the community.
A group of 28 doctors and their families, travelling miles away to a foreign land, never thought that their holiday would take a surprising and distressing turn. Midway in Australia they realized that they were left stranded and possibly duped. Their bookings were dodgy and unpaid for on the onward leg of their journey to New Zealand.
“We were in the middle of our holiday and we realised something was wrong. We were under the impression that all payment had been made. We were totally shocked. We felt utterly helpless and alone. No one carries this much cash these days and we really didn’t know who or where to turn to,” said Dr. Satish Patil.
“We spent a few hours sleeping on floors at the airport. Then the Auckland Marathi Association and they responded immediately to our distress call and it went a long way in giving us emotional support. We were so relieved – it is certainly a credit to them and Rushikesh (Ahinave) that everything ended well. They helped us simply on the basis that we share a common country of origin and nothing else. It’s rare to see a gesture like this in the times we live in.”
Some of the doctors in the group to name a few including Dr. Satish Patil and his wife Suchita are Dr. Shashank Date, Dr. prof. Sushama, Dr. Shivkumar Joshi, Dr. Prakash Chaudhari and Dr. J. B. Ahirrao.
The SOS email was first spotted by Manasee Joshi, an Executive Committee member, on her routine check of the Association’s inbox. It was around the same time when the whole Committee team was executing the Association’s hugely popular flagship ‘Diwali Sakal’ annual event. She sensed an urgency in the email and immediately alerted the Association’s President Rushikesh Ahinave. He responded instinctively and immediately.
“There was never any doubt in my mind as to helping out in spite of the ongoing event. We run an Association for the benefit of the community and helping out in any way we can is a no-brainer. Times like these is when it is most important to reach out with assistance,” said Mr. Ahinave.
In the end, the group had a pleasant end to their trip in Auckland. With the help of the Association, they were booked into a hotel in Auckland where they could relax and recover. A few members of the Committee along with their families including Mr. Prasad Rajapurkar, his wife Seema and their son Chaitanya, Mr. Jatin Waichal and his wife Ms Manasee Joshi, the Ahinave family and the Chitale family visited them on their last evening in New Zealand.
The group intends to fully follow up on this case and book the people responsible for duping them once they are back home in India.
Auckland Marathi Association’s willingness to respond with urgency and go the extra mile to help a stranded group of Indian doctors touring New Zealand and Australia has been praised and acknowledged by the community.
A group of 28 doctors and their families, travelling miles away to a foreign...
Auckland Marathi Association’s willingness to respond with urgency and go the extra mile to help a stranded group of Indian doctors touring New Zealand and Australia has been praised and acknowledged by the community.
A group of 28 doctors and their families, travelling miles away to a foreign land, never thought that their holiday would take a surprising and distressing turn. Midway in Australia they realized that they were left stranded and possibly duped. Their bookings were dodgy and unpaid for on the onward leg of their journey to New Zealand.
“We were in the middle of our holiday and we realised something was wrong. We were under the impression that all payment had been made. We were totally shocked. We felt utterly helpless and alone. No one carries this much cash these days and we really didn’t know who or where to turn to,” said Dr. Satish Patil.
“We spent a few hours sleeping on floors at the airport. Then the Auckland Marathi Association and they responded immediately to our distress call and it went a long way in giving us emotional support. We were so relieved – it is certainly a credit to them and Rushikesh (Ahinave) that everything ended well. They helped us simply on the basis that we share a common country of origin and nothing else. It’s rare to see a gesture like this in the times we live in.”
Some of the doctors in the group to name a few including Dr. Satish Patil and his wife Suchita are Dr. Shashank Date, Dr. prof. Sushama, Dr. Shivkumar Joshi, Dr. Prakash Chaudhari and Dr. J. B. Ahirrao.
The SOS email was first spotted by Manasee Joshi, an Executive Committee member, on her routine check of the Association’s inbox. It was around the same time when the whole Committee team was executing the Association’s hugely popular flagship ‘Diwali Sakal’ annual event. She sensed an urgency in the email and immediately alerted the Association’s President Rushikesh Ahinave. He responded instinctively and immediately.
“There was never any doubt in my mind as to helping out in spite of the ongoing event. We run an Association for the benefit of the community and helping out in any way we can is a no-brainer. Times like these is when it is most important to reach out with assistance,” said Mr. Ahinave.
In the end, the group had a pleasant end to their trip in Auckland. With the help of the Association, they were booked into a hotel in Auckland where they could relax and recover. A few members of the Committee along with their families including Mr. Prasad Rajapurkar, his wife Seema and their son Chaitanya, Mr. Jatin Waichal and his wife Ms Manasee Joshi, the Ahinave family and the Chitale family visited them on their last evening in New Zealand.
The group intends to fully follow up on this case and book the people responsible for duping them once they are back home in India.
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