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| Ramakrishnan, Helen Keller Institute, Vaniyamkulam, Palakkad |
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If after completing M.A and M.Phil, Ramakrishnan had accepted the job offer and joined ONGC, his life would have been entirely different. But a chance conversation with Dr. Anand Mohan of Chelakkara, his friend and benefactor, soon set him thinking of the futility of a blind man trying to compete with the eyed in a compassionless struggle.
That prompted him to dedicate his life to other blind and orphaned people. He relinquished the jobs that came his way and instead set about starting a vocational training centre for the blind.
At some stage the centre became an orphanage for the blind who had nowhere to go. Although Dr. Anand Mohan and friends formed a trust to help his , there was severe shortage of funds.
As the testing times continued, Ramakrishnan had to vacate the rented houses 4 times owing to non payment of rent and move with the 58 inmates to a different house. Often planning for the next meal itself was and is a big question mark. And yet the days pass by with Ramakrishnan’s confidence being matched by the random philanthropic gestures of the world.
The man who once used to walk along the corridors of the college without even a walking stick is still confident. The purity of his purpose and the prayers of the inmates give him strength to carry on.
Courtesy: O.R.Ramachandran (text), S.L.Anand (photo), Mathrubhumi, July 6, 2003
Contributed by: Administrator
