Act of Oblation to humanity – Jignesh Adhyaru 10


A translated short poem about hunger cited below, basically from Hindi, shows the terrific reach of hunger.

Railway tracks / and two dead bodies lying on them / which to check, which to leave / a person and an animal / both clinched / apparently / got cut and joined / people staring at them / from a distance / came and left / time kept on flowing / hunger started growing / Crowd came near / to lift the dead body / Crowd consisted of Human / kept on fighting / Dead body of a Human / left for putrefying

As such on the / body of a man / there was nobody to linger / coz it can’t / satisfy hunger.

Stomach of a person leaves, always a chance to be filled. Death is a onetime affair, it comes and vanishes, but hunger, if not satisfied, is a routine death. Almighty may have thought of testing human’s spirit and his ability, otherwise he might not have created people who, since birth, get mental disability in gift from him. A stable person can feel his hunger, but think about the trouble and problems of the person whose own mind is not capable of caring his body, can not understand the pain and trouble of self.

We all must have noticed, in our cities and villages, on outskirts of city or on roadsides, on railway platforms, deserted, old, mentally ill, physically challenged human beings. Sometimes left after disgust and dislike to their care and presence or sometimes due to their mental inability, they get lost in the crowd of the society. Have you ever thought about the hunger they face? How do you think they satisfy their hunger? Who is to feed them? Who shall provide this very basic and necessary ingredient of life to them? Who is to take their care and help them when they are taking last breaths of their life on footpath of a road? Who is to do their cremation or burial? We seldom take time out to think about this. We don’t care to extinguish their hunger thirst even once or bring a smile on the faces of these mad, filthy people. The society ill treats them with their humiliation and they never get a respectable place in society. There is no reason for this injustice to them, because their inability is not their fault.

In a five star hotel in Bangalore, there was a boy, graduate in Catering technology from Kamaraj University, working to provide delicious, variety of excellent food to high profile, wealthy people. Marking the most exciting turn of his career, after a crucial selection exercise, he got selected for training in Switzerland. It was the moment many of us wait for from since the start of our career. After this, his life is to upraise, he has to get more money, more facilities. For any 20 year old boy with dreams of safe future in mind, this is an unavoidable opportunity. An opportunity which is sum total result of the hard work throughout the educational career.

He, then proceeds to meet his parents in city of Madurai, Tamilnadu. During the ride in the city, he observed something uncommon. A deserted mentally ill person near a bridge was eating something furiously – the fellow drew close and saw that the person was eating his own human waste. The fellow was stunned by the sheer desperation of the situation. Understanding the attack of hunger, he ran to a nearby roadside stall and fetched some idlies for that person. That person quietly ate it without even pausing and held the hand of the fellow for the longest time. For the next few days, all he could see and think of were the hunger ravaged faces of such destitute people.

What should happen next in your opinion? Whether he should compliment himself for having satisfied the hunger of that mentally ill person and be happy having observed the gratitude in that persons’ eye, and with this satisfaction, fly to Switzerland for the astonishing career? Do I sound reasonable?

Hungry Destitute getting food

A simple person like me may think in this manner only. But this fellow got the uncommonness from a common man. He decided to leave this lucrative, healthy paying job and the opportunity to excel in his field with training in Switzerland. He decided to leave his progressive career, leave all the dreams that he may have seen for future. This is to feed, to take care of some hungry, needy destitute lying on the corner of the footpath without any notice. The community, family opposed his decision. Infact the uncommon causes get this initial disturbance and hindrance and they may not get accepted from very beginning.

But a Gujarati poet Ganga sati may have said only for these kind of people, “The Mountains may move, / but the one, / whose decisions remains still, / let the whole world oppose them, / in fear they do not shiver, / these are the symptoms of / the person near God.”

Without considering all this opposition and firm on his beliefs, this man made the work of help to destitutes and old roadside people his sole aim. He convinced himself that he is to serve them. He used all his savings for this cause and started visiting his neighborhood to search for this kind of people, and to feed them three times a day.

The city is Madurai and the person is Mr. N. Krishnan. Krishnan says and I quote, “Had the old man been vocal in his gratitude or thanked me profusely, I would probably have gone my way and never looked back to know as to what happens to the people like him. But he was silent, his lingering glance and eyes filled with tears really moved me, affected me and showed me the way I should take on.” In the times today, youth is being blamed for breaking the infrastructure of the society, having feeling less mind and living only for selfish purposes. The society shouts that the Youth property of India is being wasted; Krishnan stands tall as a lighthouse, as a sound unspoken answer to these blames. For any 20 year old, to leave apart the career worthy of fame and money and to select the road trudding towards human service is really a hard decision to make, a very tough indeed.

Food for LifeHe started by feeding 30 people in area nearby his dwelling. He started with preparing food in his mother’s kitchen, and soon by the side of the  kitchen in his house, he started is own kitchen. In June 2003, he established Akshaya’s Helping in H.E.L.P Trust.  The name describes it all. For old aged, deserted, mentally ill, physically challenged persons, Krishnan is really an Akshaya Patra, a vessel where food never vanishes. In year 2003, a well wisher donated him a Maruti Omni van, His work area kept on increasing. Initially he was alone in preparing food; now two other persons joined hands. Akshaya’s menu consists of simple but delicious South Indian vegetarian food. In breakfast, they serve Idlies, Dosa, Upma etc, while in lunch and dinner they serve Rice and Rasam, twice a week they serve vegetable biriyani. It costs them 15,000 Rupees a day to feed 400 people three meals a day. Krishnan says, “The problem with these people is that they are not Beggars, they cannot arrange food for themselves from temples or other places, nor they can beg. Generally we find them lying on railway platform, under railway bridges and on footpath of roads.”  Since June 2002, Even without skipping a single meal, Akshaya Trust is going on and on with their noble work till date.

Till November 2009, over 1.15 million meals have been served, exclusively with public support mobilized by word of mouth publicity. Akshaya has not spent any money on advertisement and publicity campaigns nor do they have any administrative overheads.All contributions are spent exclusively for the feeding programme.

Today, his red colored Maruti Omni van, travels in and around Madurai city three times a day, nearly 170 Km. To feed 400 people three times a day and travel 170 Km costs him 15,000 rupees every day. Many kind hearted corporate houses and socially responsible individuals help in this oblation to humanity. As the expenses keep mounting, there is still a huge gap to be filled. He still depends on his savings or donations from individuals like us.

Krishnan Honoured by CNN-IBN and RILCNN-IBN and Reliance Industries jointly, as an effort to celebrate the spirit of humanism and to acknowledge the work of people like Krishnan, organized a programme named “The Real Heroes.” Krishnan got a trophy and a cheque of Rs. five lacs from Mr. Aamir khan and Mrs. Nita Ambani. Krishnan says and I quote, “If any work is good enough, it will sustain through goodwill and we are proof.”

“What do you wish next?”  Krishnan has a definite plan in mind. “We want these people live a better life, we wish to prepare a shelter where all homeless, mentally or physically unfit people of Madurai can live peacefully, get a place where they are not neglected or humiliated, rather respected and helped. We have 2.6 acres of land. LIC Golden Jubilee foundation sanctioned Rs. 25 Lacs for construction of ICU block and disbursed Rs 15 Lacs. Another well wisher has confirmed Rs 25 Lacs for the second block and given Rs 15 Lacs. Construction work for these two blocks is in progress.” But the rest of the block and construction work still awaits donation. Krishnan’s efforts are on to get the donation for these purposes. “Akshaya Home” will dwell these deserted homeless people and will be a rest house for them. He wants to try and rehabilitate them. For old aged homeless people, this will be a place where they can spend the last moments of life peacefully.

RecognitionApart from feeding these people, Krishnan does a side job too. He cuts the hair of these people. The barbers of the city refused to do this work so Krishnan is doing it on his own. He also works for cremation or burial of these persons and tries to give them a respect they deserve. More then 150 people had been cremated by him.

In Porbandar, when I was a little child, I still remember our elders telling us that the city being last station for long route trains, many puts their mentally ill family members in the train and they reach Porbandar, after which they keep on lingering nearby railway station, Bus station etc. Some kind hearted person, moved by some drastic moment like Krishnan, which led him to prepare an Ashram for mentally ill and do efforts for their well being. His name was Pragji Bapa and his Ashram is known as Pragji Ashram or Ashram of Mad. He was a ticket collector in State transport bus in Gujarat, as far as I know. If there is any marriage function or celebration in any family of Porbandar, gives invitation to these people. They go in a systematic manner, clean shaved and well behaved mentally ill persons, making a row behind Pragji bapa leading them. After knowing about Krishnan’s work and listening to the sound of truth in his works and voice, I remembered Pragji bapa again. These are the

pillars, the moral on which society is still standing. Till Krishnan kind of people are there, we don’t need to worry about our values, yes, we need to make it sure that they get all the help and support they need from us or society as a whole. For Akshaya Trust, to feed these people, Krishnan needs financial help and support, so is for Akshaya Home, and it is our duty to help him. If not a flower, even a petal will work, but it will show the society a new road, a new vision to support humanity, a society where selfishness, “well being of self as a whole” is not the ultimate aim. These uncommon persons are our Heroes; they shall be the Idol or Celebrity of our society in India. They are the Real Heroes of our Generations.

[To contact Mr. N. Krishnan and to know more about him, you can have a look to his website www.akshayatrust.org.

Details on how to help Akshaya Trust financially, is as follows, AksharNaad.com is only working as a medium to put Krishnan’s work to you. If you wish to help him, kindly contact him directly through the details below and inform AksharNaad about it.

Remittances within India can be made in any branch of ICICI Bank in India favoring

Akshaya’s Helping in H.E.L.P. Trust
ICICI Bank Ltd., Kochadai Branch, Madurai-625010
S.B.Account No.601 701 013 912

For Foreign Contribution

Akshaya’s Helping in H.E.L.P. Trust
Account No. 601601081471
ICICI Bank Ltd., K.K.Nagar Branch, Melur Road, Madurai – 625 020 India

(OR)

N. Krishnan
SB account : 601601504494
ICICI Bank K.K.Nagar branch, Madurai 625020, India

MICR code: 625229006.

FCRA Regn No.075940512 Min. of Home Affairs, Govt. of India I.T. 80(G) Regn.No.108/2003-04 ITC Madurai, Donations exempt under 80 (G) of I.T. Act, Reg.No.108/2003-04/ITC Madurai, valid up to 31 March, 2010. Applied for renewal]

Contact Details :

AKSHAYA’s  HELPING  IN  H.E.L.P.  TRUST, 9, West 1st Main Street, Doak  Nagar Extension, Madurai – 625 010, INDIA
E.mail: ramdost@sancharnet.in
www.akshayatrust.org

Ph  : + 91 (0) 452 4353439 / 2587104
Mobile + 91 (0)  98433 19933

Note : We leave it to your judgement whether to speak of Akshaya’s transparency and statutory compliance. All their income and expenditure are properly accounted, vouched, audited by an independent  professional Chartered Accountant. Their I.T returns with the audited balance sheet is filed in April every year. All their accounts and activities are fully transparent and open to anyone any time.

{ We heartily thank Mr. N. Krishnan for providing us with the details, CD, brochure and for giving each and every minute detail when we contacted them for preparation of this article. To read this article in Gujarati Language, Please click here. }


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10 thoughts on “Act of Oblation to humanity – Jignesh Adhyaru

  • Ritesh Gupta

    This is simply soul touching feeling to see and hear some one like Mr.Krishnan. One day would like to join hands with him … this is simply attaining the literal meaning of our life and deeds.

  • Karthik

    Hats off to Mr.Krishnan, who is delivering the real human duties of life with love and passion. We should bring awareness as well as contributions to support our real hero for his long term service.

  • vignesh kumar

    I am also from Madurai, Narayanan krishnan is like a hero for me , He is a living legend. I am saying these words because we all are running behind money and fame but only few avatars like Narayanan krishnan is running behind homeless destitutes to provide food and shelter to them. I also want to hold my hero’s hand to serve more poor people . My salute and applause to MR.NARAYANAN KRISHNAN THE GREAT. Thanks for this article which will make him to reach more people.

  • Parag Phukan

    The “haves” and the “have-nots” are not God’s creation, they are the products of the systems created by us-be it political, social or economic. Whatever we have are actually drawn from the society at large where every human being has a stake. Hence, it is our duty pay back to the society whatever we can. Hats off to noble human beings like Mr. Krishnan. May their breed proliferate all over.

    Thanks for publising the article, it was a great reading indeed.

  • patricia

    mr. krishnan’s story has touched my heart! it is very humbling to hear of such work in other parts of the world. his vision that has come to life, is something that i want to do, here in my city in united states. i pray blessings of opportunities and profit for your organization, as it will continue always to do god’s work and help humans!

  • R.Ravichandran

    Hats of to you for publishing Krishnans story in your website.Iam living at chennai and i Have seen Krishnans service at madurai several times and he is well desreved for the appericiation of media.His services to be exposed throught out india so that the prsent youth will come to know what is happening in and around them.