An autorickshaw driver, A. Velayutham (41), is finding maintenance of his intellectually challenged half-brother tough after his father and stepmother died of COVID-19 last year.
Their father A.K. Arunachalam was a social worker, who had been helping the poor during the first wave of the pandemic in Chennai by distributing essential goods.
Arunachalam and his wife Geetha died after getting infected with COVID-19 in June last year, leaving their intellectually challenged son, A. Manikandan (35), under the care of Mr. Velayutham.
“He too was infected with COVID-19 and I stayed in Chennai for more than a month to treat him and brought him back to Rajapalayam,” said Mr. Velayutham.
In the last one year, he could not go for work regularly as his presence was necessary to take care of Manikandan, he said.
“He needs attention for everything, from eating to washing. My wife cannot handle him alone as sometimes he starts to behave strangely,” Mr. Velayutham said.
With two teenage girl children, wife and now the half-brother under his care, Mr. Velayutham is finding it difficult to meet the needs of the family and those of his brother.
“My father was a recipient of several awards, including from the President of India, for his social work for the differently abled, especially the visually challenged, though he himself was partially blind,” the auto driver said.
Stating that the monthly assistance of ₹1,000 given to Manikandan was not enough even to buy diapers for him, Mr. Velayutham wanted the State government to help put his brother in a home where he could be taken care of.
“With debts mounting in the last one year, I am not able to afford him a private nurse or put him in a home,” he rued. He has written a letter to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin seeking his help.
