Recently, 38 inmates of the Corporation night shelter in R.S. Puram were taken on a picnic to Isha Yoga Centre at the foothills of Velliangiri. It was the first picnic for many of them who were abandoned by their family and relatives. They were unwelcome at any place, begged for a living and lived on the streets before they were rescued and taken to the night shelter.
The trip was organised by Eera Nenjam Trust that has been working on rescuing roadside abandoned dwellers, especially the aged, mentally disturbed and destitutes and in rehabilitating them. Twenty-five inmates were from the Corporation night shelter that is maintained by the trust while the 13 others were from the nearby night shelter run by another NGO.
“Inmates of our home were not covered under the drive to identify abandoned aged persons to get them into mainstream voting. Monday being the polling day no visitors will come to see them. So we thought of a picnic and asked their (inmates) suggestions. They preferred a calm place. And the place was decided,” managing trustee P. Mahendiran said.
Members of the trust set off early to cast their vote and headed to the night shelter to take the inmates for the picnic. Two vans were hired and they started at 9 a.m. There was a broad smile on many of their faces as it was more than a dream come true for them. Only three of them were women aged below 30 years. The others were more than 60 years old. Some of them could not walk on the rocky path. The path was also inaccessible. So the volunteers of the trust carried them. “We did not want them to return without having the fun, just because they could not walk,” Mr. Mahendiran said. Some inmates meditated while others enjoyed nature.
