Shailee Shah, a resident of Gurgaon, has quenched the thirst of thousands of people by distributing chilled drinking water among passers-by for free. The 41-year-old keeps at least 30 water bottles in her fridge at night, and is seen handing over chilled 500 ml PET bottles to construction workers, domestics helps, people on the way to their offices, etc., during the daytime near her residence in The Belaire in DLF Phase 5.
Along with her family of four, she has distributed over 3,500 bottles in the last two months.
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About two years ago, Shailee was waiting at a traffic signal when a boy came up to her asking for food. She tried giving him a packet of biscuits that was kept in the car, but he refused and pointed at the bottle of water instead. She gave him the bottle and watched the satisfaction on his face as he drank it in the scorching heat.
“Seeing the boy smile after the first sip made me realise how important water is. A group of children then came asking for water but I did not have any spare bottles to hand over. It was after that day that I decided to spread smiles through water bottles,” Shailee, who teaches Indian cuisine to Japanese women, told Hindustan Times.
Most of her students drink only mineral water and but they don’t need the bottles after that. So Shailee takes the bottles from them to distribute water. Inspired by her, some of Shailee’s friends have also take up the initiative in different cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru.
“Water is essential for life and, in summer, the chances of dehydration are very high. My family and I distribute the bottles to people regardless of their profession and provide them some relief from the soaring temperature,” she said.
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About two years ago, Shailee was waiting at a traffic signal when a boy came up to her asking for food. She tried giving him a packet of biscuits that was kept in the car, but he refused and pointed at the bottle of water instead. She gave him the bottle and watched the satisfaction on his face as he drank it in the scorching heat.
