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Lighting up a thousand lives
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T.V. Ramakrishna and his wife Vijaya, who live in the U.S., don't make trips home to see how they had lived years ago, but to help others live better. They have built Sahasra Deepika, a home for the homeless, on the outskirts of the City.
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Dr. T.V. Ramakrishna and Vijaya Ramakrishna: deeply committed
FOUR KILOMETRES from the Meenakshi-Sundaresan temple on Bannerghatta Road is a bylane that is soon to be called Sahasra Deepika Road. A near-untrodden path leads you to what looks like a beautiful resort. Fruit trees stand in measured distance of one another and the serene silence opens out into a picturesque white building. That is Sahasra Deepika — meaning, "a thousand lights" — home to children who have none. This is the home built by T.V. Ramakrishna, whose own home now is in the U.S.
Dr. Ramakrishna was born in a village called Thallagavara, 60 k.m. from Bangalore. His father died when he was very young and his widowed mother did her best to educate him. The teachers in the remote rural school spotted the young boy's potential and encouraged him to study with small amounts of scholarships that came his way. His first scholarship amount was six rupees. As he continued to maintain high scholastic standards, his scholarship money increased to a princely sum of ten rupees! He lived in hostels that served him measured food. His degree in Civil Engineering got him a job at the PWD, where he worked for over a year only to realise that this was not his calling. So he started to teach at the Visveswaraya College of Engineering before leaving for the U.S to do a Master's in Engineering and Planning and later his doctorate.
Seventy-three-year-old Ramakrishna today recalls his journey from Thallagavara to the United States — a journey that could have happened only by the grace of God. He left India in 1965 and was soon joined by his wife and two children. Dr. Ramakrishna also carried with him memories of what it means to be poor.
"Give them food, they are hungry again. Give them education, they are forever away from poverty." This is the maxim that governs the Sahasra Deepika Project. Attached to the orphanage is a free boarding school for the children, where they are taught the syllabus prescribed by the Karnataka State. They are taught in English so that they can become a part of the mainstream faster and with fewer handicaps. They have a reading room, a library, and half a dozen computers with an instructor.
His charming wife, Vijaya, is a passionate spokesperson for this cause. Years ago, while in the U.S., this couple were witness to the way in which sections of the Indian community came together to build a temple there. That incident helped them decide to build a "human temple".
The Cheerful children at Sahasra Deepika.
The deeply committed NRI couple feel that one does not have to wait to become rich in order to work for a cause. All that one needs is support. People have to come together and just do their bit without a selfish motive. What Sahasra Deepika now require are sincere and educated volunteers. It needs housemothers — women who are educated and who are interested in looking after children. There is a Board of Directors in the U.S. and a Board of Trustees in Bangalore. But it would be glad to have skilled people pool in their visions to uplift the needy.
Giving the children a home and education alone is not enough. They must have good people living around them. The Outreach Programme of Sahasra Deepika aims to improve the quality of life of the people in the nearby village, Sakalvara. Young women are being trained to be economically independent and schools in the area are encouraged to participate in competitive events.
Sahasra Deepika can accommodate more children — Ms. Vijaya and Dr. Ramakrishna spend most of their time travelling through villages to see if they can help a truly deserving child. They have many more dreams for this home. They are in touch with the agricultural universities, hoping to see if some portion of the Sahasra Deepika land can be converted into an agricultural laboratory by the time the children finish school. "He is so impatient that he wants these children to go to college now!" says Ms. Vijaya about her husband. The children at the home call this couple Mataji and Pitaji. The robust-looking children of the lovely home make one think, rather ironically, that they are luckier than many who have parents. For, in a country like ours, there are so many children with parents who have no access to food or education.
The homecoming of Dr. Ramakrishna and his wife is special for they are not back to see how they had lived years ago, but to see how they can help others live better. They hope to see a thousand hands join them in their efforts. Those wanting to help can call 6621640 / 6647781 or mail sahasradeepika@aol.com
MEENAKSHI SHIVRAM
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