On completion of his social work course, young Stephen Vidyaakar decided to dedicate his whole life for caring for the " wretched on the streets" of Chennai city to borrow a part of the title from Frantz Fanon's book "Wretched of the Earth ", while his contemporaries were craving for high paying corporate jobs. One day in 1983 ,a rickshaw-puller took a tiny ,wailing, dehydrated infant boy ,found abandoned in a cinema hall after the late night show, to Stephen. The young social worker received the baby with open arms and that was the beginning of a long and challenging journey in his mission of caring for the orphans and destitutes by founding the Uthavum Karangal ( Helping Hands) , an NGO. He and his organization have given succour and a new life to hundreds of abandoned babies, neglected aged men and women, destitute children , the disabled, the mentally challenged, the sexually abused, the sick with HIV and other illnesses and disabilities , the dying destitutes, and others found thrown in the dirty streets of the city.
No social worker has attempted to raise funds the way Stephen has done in the early part of his work : he used to stand on the Marina beach with a collection box to seek alms to meet the pressing needs of the human lives under his care.. A dedication of extreme rarity. Slowly Uthavum Karangal attracted volunteers to join Stephen in his multiple responsibilities . Funds also started flowing, though not to the needed extent. Today, Uthavum Karangal extends residential care, educational support, vocational training, rehabilitation services , etc. Stephen sacrificed personal happiness like marriage . But he is immensely happy to belong to an extended family of many generations with many children having Vidyaakar as the surname calling him appa or pappa ( father ). It is heart-warming to see Stephen doing Kanyadanam of his daughters who grew up in his arms with all the stipulated rituals .
Stephen's social contribution can be compared with that of Mother Teresa without any hesitation. Born in Macedonia,she settled in Kolkatta and cared for the abandoned patients and the dying destitutes . Stephen ,born in India , has been caring selflessly for the well-being of the unwanted humans in Chennai . Mother Teresa had enormous support from the state and central governments, and international sources. But Stephen has been struggling for funds. Awards, including the Nobel Prize and the Bharat Ratna , were conferred on Mother Teresa. At the same time, the Indian state is yet to recognize the precious Indian GEM :Stephen Vidyaakar.
No social worker has attempted to raise funds the way Stephen has done in the early part of his work : he used to stand on the Marina beach with a collection box to seek alms to meet the pressing needs of the human lives under his care.. A dedication of extreme rarity. Slowly Uthavum Karangal attracted volunteers to join Stephen in his multiple responsibilities . Funds also started flowing, though not to the needed extent. Today, Uthavum Karangal extends residential care, educational support, vocational training, rehabilitation services , etc. Stephen sacrificed personal happiness like marriage . But he is immensely happy to belong to an extended family of many generations with many children having Vidyaakar as the surname calling him appa or pappa ( father ). It is heart-warming to see Stephen doing Kanyadanam of his daughters who grew up in his arms with all the stipulated rituals .
Stephen's social contribution can be compared with that of Mother Teresa without any hesitation. Born in Macedonia,she settled in Kolkatta and cared for the abandoned patients and the dying destitutes . Stephen ,born in India , has been caring selflessly for the well-being of the unwanted humans in Chennai . Mother Teresa had enormous support from the state and central governments, and international sources. But Stephen has been struggling for funds. Awards, including the Nobel Prize and the Bharat Ratna , were conferred on Mother Teresa. At the same time, the Indian state is yet to recognize the precious Indian GEM :Stephen Vidyaakar.
No comments:
Post a Comment