Krishnan is not just a regular guy. For one thing, he turned down a lucrative job offer in Switzerland after graduating in hotel management. For another, he spends his day cooking to feed homeless people who are unable to take care of themselves.
Feeding programme
For many of Madurai's mentally ill and homeless, Krishnan and his home cooked meals are the only hope of survival. “At present we feed about 400 people thrice a day with freshly cooked food. We cover about 200 km in the city. Our daily expense of Rs. 15,000 is met by donations from individuals and corporate bodies,” he said.
The feeding programme at the Akshaya Trust was founded in 2002. Krishnan, then working at a five star hotel, saw a mentally ill man eating his own excrement. What he witnessed changed his life forever. At present Akshaya Trust has seven volunteers including Kamala Iyer, a 75 year old visually challenged volunteer, helps with the mobilization of funds, Rajamani, a 52 year old insurance company executive provides financial support and other help, Mani, a contractor provides additional services apart from the construction work , Krishnamoorthy, 45, working as a full time volunteer helps with the daily activities, Seethalakshmi, 40, helps with media and communication, and Shweta. , 23, a post graduate, helps in general administration and another executive helps with administration, documentation etc. The meals are all cooked by Krishnan and served fresh to the homeless.
A couple of years ago, Krishnan realised that feeding these people alone was not enough. “In Madurai, hundreds of mentally ill, old, abandoned men and women live and die on roads without any shelter. Some women are harassed by unscrupulous anti-social elements.” He said, “Akshaya is building a shelter for these people for rehabilitation and a peaceful place for the abandoned elderly people .”
The home has been planned for a total of 24,000 sq.ft, but sponsorship has been obtained for only 10,000 sq.ft. Two blocks with a total area of around 5000 sq.ft have been constructed while a third block of 2560 sq.ft is currently under construction. But there is still a lot of work to be done. “I want to complete the construction of Akshaya Home and make it operational. However, this may take another three years,” he said.
Asked if he has any regrets about his decision, he replied with a confident no. People who once thought this cause would merely be a hobby, have come to recognise his resolve and determination. Krishnan has now been conferred with many prestigious awards and honours. He was recently nominated for the CNN Heroes. But unassumingly, he continues to work for the feeding programme.
Doing our bit
And what does he have to say to people who would like to emulate his example? “Compassion and empathy should be natural to any human being. It is neither necessary nor possible for everyone to take up big projects. If each one of us does a little bit in our own way to the society, it will be good enough.We need to be our own regulatory authority and be decent without the need for any supervision”
Akshaya Trust can be contacted at +91(0 452 4353439/2587104 and +91 98433 19933. Website: w ww. akshayatrust .org
Madhumitha is a B.E. (EEE) graduate.
