
Where there’s BNI, there is always a way! It was in early May 2020 when the entire country was in a lockdown and movement was completely prohibited. My daughter who was studying in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) had been stranded there alone for two months now and the tension was getting to all of us. I had tried all means of getting her back home to Gurgaon but nothing was working. It was then that I reached out to my ED Arti Kochhar and Sr. DC Heena Handa. They immediately got into action and connected me to Arpan Agarwal from Sparx chapter who runs a taxi service. Within 12 hours, Arpan had worked his magic. As things progressed and I prepared for my journey, I got desperate calls to bring along another young girl, a sub-major’s daughter, who was stranded in Gurgaon. Not to be deterred, Arpan quickly mobilized his contacts and organized two passes from the DC’s office for both of us. This 16-hours nonstop journey was an adventure that I’ll likely not forget my entire life! Anxiety ran high, more so as Ahmedabad was under total curfew with movement heavily restricted, and we were two women travelling alone through the night and had to pass through multiple police check points in various states during the journey. Finally, we reached our destination in the morning, but not before more drama unfolded. As news of our journey spread, more requests started pouring in from my daughter’s friends and our army contacts. Of course, Arpan was on the job with his meticulous planning, and within the next 3 days he arranged three separate vehicles, and DC permits, to bring back a student, a professor, and two elderly ladies stranded at Ahmedabad. I don’t have enough words to thank Arti, Heena, and Arpan, who helped me get through this ordeal. As I look at my daughter sitting cosy at home, I’m flooded with relief and gratitude and remember Heena’s words about stepping out of your comfort zone and building lifelong relations.
Dr. Major Meenaxe
BNI Gurgaon | BNI Incredibles