New clothes were given to 18 children of coal pickers in Dhanbad, to brighten Durga Puja at a time when Covid has dulled festive charm.

Chanda Kumari (11), resident of the Khilan Dhaura area of Katras was overjoyed when BCCL officer Dev Kumar Verma, who is also the founder of her school, Pathshala, at Bhaga Basti area of Katras, arrived at her home along with other students in an SUV, to take them out shopping.

Verma bought the children their clothes from Ladli Dress, a clothing shop in Nawagarh.

Eight-year-old Chandan Kumar, son of a construction site daily wager from Bhaga Basti, picked a t-shirt and a pair of jeans for himself.

Talking to The Telegraph Online on Wednesday, Verma, the BCCL Barora area manager said that all the children were quite happy after receiving the new clothes of their choice.

Verma runs three schools in Katras including one at Katras Bazar, and others two at Matari and Bhaga Basti area of Katras, which impart free-of-cost education to children of the financially weaker sections of society, especially the children of coal pickers.

The coal picker children in a cheerful mood in Nawadih, Baghmara in Dhanbad on Wednesday Gautam Dey

“A sum of around Rs 10,000 was provided to us by Tapas Sethi, a manager of Western Coalfields Limited in memory of his brother Varun Vishwa Bhushan who died in an accident a few years ago and whose birthday was on October20,” said Verma.

Verma’s team also contributed some funds from their own resources while the shop owner also provided them rebate and provided the clothing on an almost no-profit no-loss basis.

“We have plans to provide similar clothing to around 10 other students,” said Verma and added that though all his three schools have been closed since the imposition of lockdown, they are running online classes for these children and conducted half-yearly exams recently.

“Nothing can be more joyous than bringing happiness to the faces of these children, who are often compelled to work with their parents to eke out of a living,” said Verma, son a retired group D employees of BCCL, Rajendra Sonar who did his MBA from NIT-Durgapur and then joined BCCL in 2014.