talent-kerala.net
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SANTHA MENON AND RADHA MENON: STARTING HOME FOR DESTITUTES AND AGED | |||||||
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Gift of food is the greatest gift of all, so their mother Balamaniamma used to tell her daughters. And she sometimes used to allow her daughters to accompany her during festive days and holidays when she used to distribute food packets to the needy. Growing up in that mileu with the eldest sister a mentally-challenged and the mother herself a widow by the age 35, the other three sisters learned to value compassion and strength of mind. The mother brought them up alone and got them married off. Such an upbringing resulted in a compassionate heart ticking in them. When even destitute homes refused to accept the remaining two children of a poor Brahmin family whose three children had already died of poverty, Balamaniamma suggested: why not complement the gift of food with the gift of shelter also. So the sisters Santha Menon and Radha Menon started ‘Santhwanam’, a home for the needy in a rented house at Thrikkakara. Following the news story about their efforts, more and more victims of domestic and social violence and neglect turned up at Santhwanam. When the number of solace seekers increased, the old people were housed in a separate rented building. Being with them and solacing them has been the loving duty for the two sisters. “Getting birth certificates to enroll the children of Santhwanam in schools is a big hurdle which we try to solve with the help of an understanding doctor from General Hospital,” says Radha Menon. A building of its own for Santhwanam to provide a home for the children and the aged, this is a dream of the sisters. It would indeed be fulfilling if I could live in such a home even for a single day, says Radha Menon.
Courtesy:
B.Sreelekha
(text), Vanitha, January 1-14, 2008 |
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"A near neighbour is better than a far-dwelling kinsman." |