Morristown man continues Nepal relief mission
At an age when most people are retired, Satish Mehtani has put his considerable business interests on hold to help a population halfway around the world recover from a devastating earthquake.
The Morristown resident, 81, cut short his second visit to Nepal earlier this month after injuring his ankle walking the muddy streets of Kathmandu, where he was working with government officials to house and render medical aid to the victims of the April 25 earthquake in Nepal that claimed 9,000 lives.
But in a few weeks, he will be going back to continue his efforts both as a private citizen and the founder of the Edison-based nonprofit International Mission of Mercy, which has brought similar relief to disaster areas ranging from the World Trade Center in the aftermath of 9/11 to the 2011 tsunami in Japan.
Tens of thousands remain homeless in Nepal, while many children were orphaned by the quake and strong aftershocks still rock the region. The children, in particular, were the focus of his most recent visit.
“It is going to take years, but my mission is very small,” Mehtani said in the office of his Mehndi restaurant at Headquarters Plaza in Morristown (his restaurant group also owns establishments in Edison, along with adult day-care centers in Edison and Parsippany). “We want to make (the children) feel like they are needed in the society, and that they have friends and well-wishers around the world. Because these children are the future of the nation.”
Shortly after completing his 20-hour journey to Kathmandu, which began with a 16-hour nonstop flight to New Delhi, India, Mehtani visited the first of nine schools and found the students in “shabby dress.”
“I bought them uniforms, and also we provided them with chalkboards that they did not have in the schools,” Mehtani said. “That made them very happy. When I first got there, they were depressed, no smiles. After, they were happy and laughing. One boy sat on my lap and called me ‘Dada,’ which means grandfather, and kissed me, which made me cry. We also bought them toys to play with.”
Some of the children and surviving family members are living in damaged homes, while others are living in tents purchased by the International Mission of Mercy and other relief groups from the U.S., China, India and South Korea. Mehtani also used his trip to arrange for more tents to be brought in while other tents were moved from central relief areas closer to people’s homes.
His visit also included a meeting with Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala to discuss Mehtani’s pledge to establish day-care centers in Kathmandu for helping “less-fortunate” adults in need of medical care and supervision. Mehtani is arranging to bring two Nepalese nationals to America to train at his day-care centers before going back to apply “the same standards of care” received here.
The aftershocks in Nepal have decreased in frequency, Mehtani said, but frequent rains have slowed relief efforts and led to him twisting his ankle while walking along a muddy road. Forced to use crutches, he cut his visit short by about four days, returning to Morristown on July 13.
The ankle is healing, but doctors are monitoring a cyst near his knee that could produce dangerous blood clots.
“The doctors are concerned about blood clots, but God is on my side,” he said. “I hope to go back again in two to three weeks.”
Meanwhile, he is hoping more Americans will step up to support the cause. He asks that anyone who wishes to help to contact him directly at 732-735-5520 or by email at mr.mehtani@hotmail.com.
Mehtani also thanked several people who already have supported his mission, including Edison Mayor Jun Choi and Edison residents Ajay Gupta and Sohag Munshi, Morristown attorney Vig Pawar, Ajay Kumar and, from JFK hospital in Edison, CEO Ray Fredericks and Drs. Buhdev Sharma, Laxmipathi Garipalli and Desu G. Rao.
Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.