: His friends joke that Rajasethumurali’s home is like a mini provisions store. But, auto driver Rajasethumurali is serious when he states, “I know the pain of hunger because I have experienced it myself.”
If you reside in Kuniamuthur, he will call a day before your birthday and ask if you can contribute food for the poor children. His auto is painted blue, usually loaded with vessels filled with food, which are dispatched to slums, orphanages and hospitals. His NGO is called Soru that collects not just food, but also notebooks and clothes for AIDS affected children and orphans. He has been serving society this way for 20 years. Every Deepavali, Raja remembers the grief of not having new clothes. And, that drives him out every festival to go around his neighbourhood in his auto, distributing free clothes to the poor. “I remember how I cried when I was a child. Last Deepavali, I collected provisions and gifted it to 70 poor households in my neighbourhood.”
His festive food packs are not filled with sweets or exotic nuts, but mustard, jeera, oil, turmeric, rice and so on. “I have my team of volunteers to help me out.”
ADVERTISEMENT
He also distributes notebooks to academically bright students, who need financial assistance. “These are smart ones. But their parents are construction workers and labourers, who cannot support them in any way.”