| Koratty Varghese, Thangaloor of Avaloor Panchayat, Thrissur |
|
|
He had
experienced abject poverty in his childhood.
His two sibilings died before they were 5 years old. He had to stop schooling for want of
resources and to be a breadwinner for his three sisters. So now, in the sunset years of his life,
Koratty Varghese, Thangaloor of Avaloor Panchayat,
Thrissur and his wife Philomina are planning to part with a lion’s share of their
savings to wipe the tears of the poor by building houses for them.
In 1981,
they had purchased 25 cents of land. In
this land, five houses are being built, each in 3 cents plot with 600 sq.ft.
area. The entire cost is being borne by
the couple without accepting any donation.
Varghese
had joined the Army at the age of 22 and worked for 15 years. Later, he started a timber business, which is
running even now. His wife is a retired
craft teacher. They have 4 children who
are reasonably well settled. So, after
finishing their parental duties, the couple are now entering into a
philanthropic venture. “I have been
nurturing a dream of doing something for the poorest of the poor. The harrowing
experiences of my childhood propelled me to wipe the tears of those in similar
predicament,” he says.
He joins
the workers in the construction activities, thereby ensuring quality. Timber from his shop is being used for the
construction. On a conservative
estimate, each house would cost him around Rs 7 lakhs.
They
haven’t decided on the beneficiaries.
But informally, about 50 families have approached them. Varghese, who was with Army Supply Corps and
participated in 1965 and 1971 wars, has decided to handover the homes on August
15.
He has yet
another dream: to build an old age home in the remaining land of 10 cents. But he acknowledges that even he is facing
financial crunch.
T.Ramavarman (text), Times of India, July 6, 2020
