Shekinah the Saviour

A True Story of Music, Hope, and A Girl Who Saved A Life.

Lazarus Lepcha

The Spark of a Gift

On a starry winter night in 2009 in Mussoorie, the “Queen of Hills” in Uttarakhand, Vikas was performing a musical set for a gathering of guests. In the middle of his performance, he was shocked when his three-year-old daughter, Shekinah, suddenly snatched the microphone from his hands and began to sing.

Smiles from the flabbergasted guests added a special beauty to the evening. Appreciative applause echoed through the benign ambiance as the setting sun glanced down, colouring the hilltop with the reddish beams of dusk. Such was the surprising talent of this little girl. Vikas and his wife blushed with happiness, unable to believe their daughter could sing so beautifully.

This gifted family of five lived a graceful life in Dehradun. Vikas worked as a music teacher in a private school and frequently entertained tourists with his melodious songs in Mussoorie, a famous hill station just a few miles away. His wife, Deera, was also a school teacher, and together they raised Shekinah and her younger brother, Enosh.

The Shadow of the Pandemic

Eleven years later, the world was gripped by the 2020 pandemic. Shekinah was now fourteen years old. With a strict lockdown imposed every Saturday and Sunday, father and daughter traveled from the valley of Dehradun up to Mussoorie on a Friday morning, planning to shoot a music video for one of her songs.

While staying at a guest house, Vikas received a phone call from a friend who described the pathetic situation of a woman named Melhani and her family.

The sudden lockdown had dealt a heavy blow to Melhani. Nine months pregnant, she was on the verge of losing all hope. As a daily wage earner stripped of her livelihood, she was closer to her delivery date but faced serious medical complications. Doctors insisted she be referred to a well-equipped private hospital. Unfortunately, her economic condition was dire; all sources of income had vanished with the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.

To make matters worse, her family was battling between life and death. One of her sisters was HIV positive, and her bedridden mother lay in a hospital in the final stages of tuberculosis (TB). For Melhani, God was the ultimate hope to save her unborn child.

“Papa, shall we help her?” Shekinah asked.

Melhani’s family lived in a rented room in Dehradun. In normal times, their survival depended on local carnivals (melas), where they set up food stalls to make a living. The pandemic had snatched everything away. Their tragic plight could melt anyone’s heart.

“Let’s see,” Vikas replied softly, inquiring further into the situation.

The Digital Concert

Shekinah’s genuine compassion deeply encouraged her father. They both had a great desire to extend a helping hand, but the lockdown had not spared Vikas’s family either. He had recently lost his job, leaving his wife Deera’s income as the sole support to sustain the family. For Vikas, Deera was a God-given boon a steadfast pillar of support through all the ups and downs of life.

However, Shekinah possessed a unique platform. Having been a finalist in The Voice India Kids in 2017 and a semi-finalist on Sony Entertainment Television’s Superstar Singer, she was a well-known public figure. Furthermore, the Government of Uttarakhand had appointed her as the Brand Ambassador for the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative in 2020.

This inspired her to act. After returning from Mussoorie, she suggested a plan to her father: they would host a live concert on Facebook to raise funds for Melhani.

With high hopes and aspirations, Shekinah and her father set up the Facebook Live broadcast. This memorable evening would decide Melhani’s fate.

The concert commenced at 7:00 PM. “I believe we can raise up to two lakh rupees, which should be sufficient to support her,” Vikas said enthusiastically. Shekinah explained the urgent cause behind the event and opened with a melodious Hindi song, accompanied by her father on the guitar.

Viewers drifted in and out. Thousands of emojis and hundreds of likes popped up on the screen, but for a long time, no donation notifications pinged on the phone. Maintaining a graceful smile, Shekinah gently reminded the audience of the cause and how their contributions could save an entire family.

Finally, a notification flashed: “Your account has been credited with Rs. 500.” It brought an immediate ray of hope. Vikas smiled and said, “Shekinah, we have our first donation!” Their innocent faces shone brighter. Soon after, another text read: “Your account has been credited with Rs. 1,000.”

During a brief pause, Shekinah drank some water to relax. Vikas showed her a few text messages indicating donations of a single rupee or ten rupees, which felt discouraging at times.

“Don’t worry, Shekinah,” Vikas reassured her. “Whatever the amount, it comes from a good heart. We shall not give up.”

With a sweet smile, Shekinah kept singing, making earnest requests to the viewers. Suddenly, a message popped up: “Your account has been credited with Rs. 30,000.” Their spirits soared; it felt like a downpour of rain after a long drought. A beautiful smile blanketed their faces. The massive contribution came from a philanthropist named Mr. Shehzad Palakian, who chose to remain anonymous, leaving no clues about his whereabouts.

By 1:00 AM, exhaustion was setting in. Then, another message arrived from Shehzad: “Kindly check your account.” He had sent another twenty thousand rupees. When they finally ended the live stream around 2:00 AM, they had raised fifty-five thousand rupees, leaving them exhausted but deeply grateful after a grueling seven-hour performance.

The second day’s live streaming began at 2:00 PM, but donations slowed down. By 2:00 AM that night, they had managed to raise only twenty thousand more. Over the two days, the total collection stood at around sixty-five thousand rupees. Though it fell short of their initial two-lakh target, they understood that while many had generous hearts, the harsh economic realities of the pandemic had limited people’s ability to give.

“Thank you all for your kindness,” Shekinah addressed the audience. “We are happy that we collected a sum of Rs. 65,000 over two days. Even this is a very big amount.” Vikas also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all the benefactors.

As Shekinah and her father finally sat down for dinner, a sudden notification chimed on the phone: “You were hoping for one lakh. Kindly check your account; you might have it now.” Another forty thousand rupees had been credited. Their total had crossed the one-lakh mark.

The stranger who donated eighty thousand rupees remained a mystery. They located his Facebook profile but found no personal details, only a few photos of his past charitable works.

“We somehow managed to get in touch with him via a voice call on Messenger,” Vikas later shared. “I asked if we could share his identity as a major contributor, but he refused. He wanted to remain entirely anonymous and didn’t want any credit. Judging by the call, he had a foreign accent and sounded like a young boy around 16 or 17 years old.”

The Saviour and the Lifesaver

The next morning, they rushed to the bank to withdraw the funds. Exuding joy, Shekinah held the bag of cash tightly while her father drove. Their hearts were focused on a single goal: reaching the hospital as quickly as possible to hand over the money.

When they arrived, they found Melhani in the emergency ward. The situation was critical; the baby in her womb was not moving. Due to a lack of specialized facilities, the staff had recommended transferring her to another hospital, but the family was stranded due to the cash crunch.

The moment Melhani saw Shekinah, she broke into tears, gasping for breath as she narrated the terrible odds stacked against them.

“Aunty, please don’t cry anymore. Everything is going to be fine,” Shekinah comforted her. “Can you guess how much money we have brought for you?”

A flicker of hope streaked through Melhani’s eyes. “I pray it is a good amount,” she whispered.

“Yes, we have collected one lakh rupees for your treatment,” Shekinah said, handing over the bag of cash.

Overwhelmed, tears of joy rolled down Melhani’s cheeks. Choking back her tears, she wept, “Madam, you are my savior.”

“Please don’t call her madam, just call her Shekinah,” Vikas gently interjected, ever the humble father and guide.

Without losing a moment, Vikas coordinated an ambulance, and Melhani was rushed to a premier private hospital fully equipped for her treatment.

The following day, Vikas and Shekinah returned to the hospital. The corridor outside the delivery room was quiet, leaving them momentarily anxious about what had transpired through the night.

Suddenly, a doctor emerged from the room holding a new-born baby boy. Stepping up to them, he gently placed the baby into Shekinah’s arms and said softly, “You are his godmother.”

Holding the tiny life in her hands, a radiant smile spread across Shekinah’s face. She looked up at her father and whispered, “Such a cute baby!”