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| Madari Moideen, Health Centre, Edavanna, Malappuram |
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“God created only human beings and not religions”: this is the motto that propels Madari Moideen, a temporary sweeper at the Health Centre, Edavanna, Malappuram to provide shelter for a destitute Hindu family in his home.
Many years ago, Madari had seen casual labourer Haridas, his wife Soudamini and their children wander about without a house. He had provided them a temporary shelter near his home. However Haridas soon died and after that he has taken over the responsibility of looking after Soudamini and her 3 sons.
Since then, if someone asks him how many children he has, his answer would be 3 sons and 2 daughters. The ‘sons’ address Madari’s wife as ‘Umma’ and consider his daughters Nusret and Benazir as their own sisters.
He had to face a lot of opposition initially: from the community and from those who pretended to love him. And some others tried to discourage him by pointing out his lowly paid job. But he had decided not to abandon the ‘sons’ even if the whole world turned against him.
Although the question of ‘Hindu boys staying in his house’ came up when his daughter’s marriage approached, such things could not shake Madari. At last his good act became widely known when he was selected for the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana National Award.
But Madari would say that the first award he received was the rose from Jawaharlal Nehru which he received as a 4th standard student of Edavanna U.P School, for welcoming Nehru with a ‘jai’ when the latter visited his school in 1956. Since then he has been wearing a rose in his buttonhole everyday. And when he went to Delhi to receive the Sadbhavana award, he had to travel 12 km to get his favourite flower!
His social interventions do not end there. Many are the mentally unsound persons he has rehabilitated on his own. And networking with some like-minded persons, he has arranged free food twice a day at the Community Health Centre, Edavanna.
Madari showing the award to his 'sons'
Courtesy: Seena Tony Jose (text), Unni Kottakkal (photo), Vanitha, December 1-14, 2005
Contributed by: Administrator
