Patna: Six years ago, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kumar Vinay was posted as a private security guard at the emergency ward of a reputed hospital in Patna. He was neither a doctor nor a nurse — just a guard earning a paltry Rs8,000 a month. Yet, day after day, he stood barely a few feet away from death, watching lives slip away in front of his eyes, an experience that changed him forever.“More than 25 people were dying every day in front of my eyes,” Vinay said. Stretchers came in, bodies went out, and families were devastated. As he controlled crowds and opened doors, he closely touched the cries, felt the prayers and the silence that followed. “Those deaths shook me from within. That time I realised there is nothing permanent in life. We don’t take anything with us except people’s blessings,” he added.That realisation became the turning point in his life.From his meagre salary, Vinay began cooking food for 21 hungry people every day. It started quietly, without announcements or help. “I didn’t have savings. I just felt God was telling me to do this,” he said. The decision wasn’t easy. His family resisted at first. “My wife and children were worried. I was spending my entire month’s salary on feeding others,” he said, adding, “But slowly they understood — kindness spreads, and it always comes back.”Over time, help began arriving. Friends and well-wishers stepped in, some with money and some with food. Narendra Kumar Pappu, who runs a catering business, said he helps him whenever possible. Others contribute on birthdays, death anniversaries or simply because they believe in what Vinay is doing. “By God’s grace, people keep coming forward,” Vinay said.A native of Jethwar Bhatt village in Bhojpur’s Tarari block, Vinay now works as a security guard at the area office of an automobile company on Boring Canal Road, earning Rs14,000 a month. His mission to help the needy remains firm despite the odds in his life. His wife, Savita Devi, lost a kidney and her health continues to worry him.His children stand firmly behind him. His daughter Kumari Sheetal is an area manager in a govt bank. His son, Kumar Saurav, works as a manager in a private bank. “Since I spend my salary on feeding people, my children help with household expenses,” he said.Today, Vinay gets food packets prepared daily from a food kiosk in Kankarbagh at Rs40 per packet for 21 people. On his way to work, he collects them and distributes them at Patna Junction, Panch Mandir, Kankerbagh and Bansghat temple. He is careful about who receives the food. “I make sure it reaches elderly and disabled people,” he said.Back in Bhojpur, with the help of others, he has also set up the Maa Berji Mandir Trust. His dream is simple — food for the hungry, education and healthcare for the poor.Branch manager of his security agency, Jaswant Kumar, said Vinay’s work is well known. “He has been honoured by many people. What he does is extraordinary.”With no influence and a low-profile job, Vinay continues his quiet mission. “If you have the will and a big heart, there is always a way,” he said.
