Though he wasn't in Mumbai at the time, Salman Khan swung into action as soon as he heard about the destruction caused by the Bandra blaze.
Through his Being Human foundation, he arranged for the distribution of food packets and clothing to around 1, 500 people who lost their homes.
Says a source, "Salman wasted no time in rushing relief. He was extremely concerned about what had happened. As soon as he realised the magnitude of the loss, he told his volunteers to get going."
Adds the source, "He was not keen to publicise that the aid was from Salman Khan. Several of the blaze hit, however, only later realised that it was from the star! They couldn't help thanking him then."
Adds the source, "Bhai does not want to talk about it. But those close to him know how he coordinated the relief measures within hours of the tragedy. He was even more concerned as it happened in Bandra a place where he resides."
The star, who's has been shooting in Thailand for Ready, had flown into Vizag over the weekend for the Celebrity Cricket League curtain raiser event.
After which he was back in Bangkok. But he kept in touch with the volunteers about the relief measures.
Past Good Work
>> In July 2010, Salman Khan had organised a three-day eye-care camp in Jaffna and Vuvuniya in war-torn eastern Sri Lanka. Five eye surgeons were flown in from India with 1, 000 pairs of lenses, after-care medication and equipment required for surgery.
>> In April 2010 during the shooting of Dabangg in Wai, Maharashtra, Salman called a doctor from Mumbai and asked him to attend to the aged on the verge of losing their eyesight. He personally supervised the entire operation and made sure they got proper post-treatment care. Those with cataract were taken to Pune for operation.
>> Around the same time he distributed 100 cycles to students from a school in Wai that consisted of poor students from neighbouring villages.
BANDRA BLAZE
A major blaze engulfed the Garib Nagar slums adjoining the Bandra railway station (east) on Friday night. Though there were no human casualties, the fire has rendered over 1, 500 families, including Slumdog Millionaire child actor Rubina and her family, homeless.