Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Behind Nana Patekar celebrated acting career was a long-standing commitment to helping farmers and their families in Maharashtra, particularly those affected by drought and farmer suicides in the Marathwada region.
The veteran actor, who died in Goa on Thursday at the age of 75, had worked extensively with farming communities through the NAAM Foundation, which he founded with Marathi actor Makarand Anaspure.
One of the initiatives associated with Patekar was the distribution of ‘Aarogya cards’ to the wives of farmers who had died by suicide. The cards enabled nearly 500 women from Marathwada to receive free medical treatment at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, according to Dr Rekha Shelke, a senior MGM University official and head of its journalism department.
The initiative, which began around 2016-17, reflected Patekar’s focus on providing practical support to families who had lost their primary source of livelihood.
Aarogya cards provided medical support
Shelke recalled that Patekar was particularly concerned about the future of families of farmers who had died by suicide.
According to her, the actor came up with the idea of providing Aarogya cards to the wives of affected farmers in the Marathwada region during 2016-17.
Nearly 500 women received the cards through the NAAM Foundation. The beneficiaries could use them to obtain free treatment for various illnesses at MGM Hospital.
Shelke said MGM Hospital continued providing free treatment to the women for nearly five years.
The medical assistance was significant because families affected by farmer suicides can face not only the loss of a family member but also financial difficulties and continuing healthcare expenses.
The Aarogya-card initiative therefore extended Patekar’s support beyond immediate financial assistance and focused on a basic long-term need: access to healthcare.
NAAM Foundation worked with farming families
Patekar’s work in Marathwada was closely connected with the NAAM Foundation, which he spearheaded with Makarand Anaspure in response to the severe drought conditions and farmer distress in Maharashtra.
The foundation says it was formed in September 2015 after increasing farmer suicides, water shortages and the deterioration of rural communities became major concerns. Its work includes farmer education, water conservation, restoration of canals and abandoned water projects, and support for deprived villages.
Patekar and Anaspure had initially provided direct assistance to families of farmers who had died by suicide before expanding their efforts through the foundation.
The organisation has subsequently worked across drought-affected parts of Maharashtra, including Marathwada and Vidarbha.
Support extended beyond healthcare
The partnership between NAAM Foundation and MGM University also resulted in educational assistance for children from families affected by farmer suicides.
Shelke said MGM University went beyond the healthcare initiative by providing free education to students from such families.
The NAAM Foundation itself lists MGM University among its institutional partnerships and says the university provides a free quota for children from suicide-affected farmers’ families. The foundation refers eligible students to institutions where they can access free education and short courses.
The education support addressed another long-term challenge facing families after the death of a farmer: ensuring that children are able to continue their studies despite financial hardship.
For Patekar, such initiatives formed part of a broader effort to support families rather than limiting assistance to one-time financial relief.
Patekar maintained ties with MGM University
Shelke also recalled Patekar’s association with MGM University Chancellor Ankushrao Kadam.
According to her, Patekar would visit Kadam on the university campus and maintained a personal association with the institution.
Shelke recalled that the actor visited the campus around six or seven months before his death for a meeting with Kadam that lasted nearly an hour.
She said she asked Patekar whether he would interact with students during the visit and that he readily agreed.
The unexpected interaction gave students an opportunity to meet the actor personally, she recalled.
The episode illustrated Patekar’s continuing connection with the university and its work with students and families from rural backgrounds.
From financial relief to long-term assistance
Patekar’s social work in Maharashtra had begun before the establishment of the NAAM Foundation.
He had personally helped families affected by farmer suicides in drought-hit parts of the state. The foundation later provided a structure through which such assistance could be expanded.
The organisation’s early work included helping farming families in districts such as Nanded, Parbhani and Hingoli. NAAM says its initial response grew into a broader movement focused on rural development and reducing the hardships faced by farmers.
Its work has included financial assistance, water-related projects, agricultural guidance, education and support for families.
The foundation’s current institutional information also identifies support for the children of suicide-affected farmers as part of its educational work.
Patekar’s death brings his social work into focus
Patekar died on Thursday after being found unconscious at his residence in Goa. Reuters reported that Manipal Hospital confirmed cardiac arrest as the cause of death. He was 75.
His death prompted tributes across Indian cinema and public life, with attention not only on his five-decade acting career but also on his work with farmers and rural communities.
Patekar was known for films including Salaam Bombay!, Parinda, Krantiveer, Khamoshi: The Musical and Welcome, and received several major acting honours during his career.
But in Marathwada, his legacy also includes initiatives aimed at families dealing with the consequences of farmer suicides.
A legacy beyond cinema
The Aarogya cards given to nearly 500 farmers’ widows represent one part of Patekar’s wider social work.
Through the initiative, women who had lost their husbands received access to free medical treatment for several years. The subsequent education support for children from affected families extended that assistance to the next generation.
NAAM Foundation continues to describe its mission as supporting farmers, improving rural livelihoods and addressing problems linked to drought, water scarcity and farmer distress.
Patekar’s work therefore extended beyond emergency relief. The initiatives associated with him sought to address healthcare, education, water and livelihood challenges facing vulnerable rural families.
For the families who benefited from those programmes, his legacy is consequently tied not only to the characters he portrayed on screen but also to practical assistance that continued after the cameras stopped rolling.