On several Indian subreddits on the social media platform Reddit, especially r/Bengaluru, a user named ‘St_Broseph’ is tagged whenever there is an issue that needs to be fixed. From filing FIRs to landlord issues, hiding somebody from goons to helping people get access to mental health therapy, this ‘St_Broseph’ always answers a call for help. Which is probably why he is called Bengaluru’s own ‘Batman’.
2 years ago, ‘St_Broseph’ posted this on Reddit. It is still a pinned post on his account:
“Let me be your ‘contact’ for when cops/rowdies/anyone harasses you in Bangalore. I want to reach out to anyone reading this and tell you guys that you’re not alone in this city. I am volunteering to be the ‘contact’ or ‘backup’ for all of you for when you get into a shifty situation and want to get out of it, for when you find yourself in the middle of an unforeseen issue and don’t know who to call or what to do.”
Here’s a look at the full post:
Let me be your "contact" for when cops/rowdies/anyone harasses you in Bangalore
by u/St_Broseph in bangalore
Who is St Broseph?
‘St Broseph’ is a guy named Dushyant Dubey. He hails from Gujarat and shifted to Bengaluru in the year 2016. He works as a Marketing Manager for Mahindra. When he is not working his office job, he solves various issues across the city. From advising people where to learn Kannada to cleaning clogged drains during the rainy season, renting an apartment and turning it into a safe house to helping victims of sexual harassment file FIRs, Dushyant does anything and everything to help those in need.
He gets his social-service streak from his father, reported Indian Express.
“My father used to do a lot of charity work when I was a kid. He used to give away saplings on World Environment Day. He also helped a lot of struggling artists with instruments they needed…..whatever charity he could do, he did with his own hands,” he said in an interview.
During the pandemic, Dushyant was helping people arrange ICU beds in Bengaluru. He was volunteering for BBMP. He came in close contact with the then police commissioner Bhaskar Rao who gave him the assurance that charity work can be done along with the authorities. This is how, slowly and steadily, Dushyant built solid contacts.
In his more recent charity works, he is funding therapy for people in Bengaluru who need it. He has also rented an apartment and is operating it as a safe house for anyone who is receiving threats from rowdies or is facing hard times. He gets 10-20 calls a day from people who need help, but he isn’t planning on slowing down. In fact, he is working on an app which will build smoother communication between him and the people of Bengaluru.
According to The Print, Dushyant does most of his social service work from his 1 BHK flat in Indiranagar where he lives alone.
A few months back, he cleared a waterlogged road in Indiranagar. Here’s a video:
Cleared the waterlogged roads at Indiranagar today, here's a video by a friend chronicling the events.
All it takes is one person.#StBroseph pic.twitter.com/tIPu6tuILv
— St_Broseph (Reddit) (@St_Brosephs) May 21, 2023
Here are a few other posts on the various kinds of work that he does in Bengaluru:
A dead animal had been thrown into a government compound, causing an unbearable stench in the area for days.
BBMP refused to deal with it, so I manually removed and disposed of the rotting corpse, then put some water on remnants to eliminate the stink.
Just another BBMP Sunday. pic.twitter.com/G1VD4V1p9d
— St_Broseph (Reddit) (@St_Brosephs) April 16, 2023
Throwback pictures. Hired a JCB to remove illegal construction debris that was destroying the government wall we had made wall paintings on.
8 Hours of JCB + 8 Hours of manual work removing the remaining debris.
End result = Pretty walls that got their lives extended 🙂 pic.twitter.com/RbdAVoe12b
— St_Broseph (Reddit) (@St_Brosephs) April 22, 2023
Got garbage outside Karunada Kanmanigalu wall paintings (Old Madras Road) cleared up. Thanks to BBMP for taking this up immediately after the request was made in the night. Hope it isn't piled up again. pic.twitter.com/v3d1kWgg5n
— St_Broseph (Reddit) (@St_Brosephs) April 15, 2023
If your Bangalore-based company is making unreasonable work demands of you and is threatening to fire you if you don't comply, please get in touch with me.
After verifying facts, I'll make sure that they are held responsible for their unethical practices publicly.#bengaluru
— St_Broseph (Reddit) (@St_Brosephs) April 14, 2023
Incident of rowdyism and drinking in a Shiva temple at Kodihalli near Indiranagar.
Thankful to officers from @Jbnagarps for taking prompt action after complaint. @DCPEASTBCP @BlrCityPolice pic.twitter.com/q4S0vcflUN
— St_Broseph (Reddit) (@St_Brosephs) December 31, 2022
It is people like Dushyant Dubey who make the world a better place. Keep up the good work!