HYDERABAD: How many times have you walked down your street noticing a disabled destitute sleeping on the pavement, awaiting help. And, how many times have any of us turned up to their rescue? Sadly, none. One brutal truth about today’s society is lack of humanity. However, thankfully not everyone has lost their humanity. One such person, striving to create a better livelihood for them, is 30-year-old Rajesh Kothwal. Inspired by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, Rajesh aims to people lead a life with some dignity, and to achieve the same, he leased out a building in 2010, which is the Bharathi Memorial Foundation, an ashram on the outskirts of Hyderabad, in Medipally. Currently, host to 71 such people, consisting of over 14 children and the rest being old men and women, who suffer from terminal diseases like HIV, Polio, Tuberculosis, Epilepsy, Cancer, among others, the ashram provides shelter and the much-needed medical care to several disabled destitutes who have been picked up from the city. While some have been abandoned by their own families at government hospitals, others like 86-year-old Krishna, who used up all his life’s savings to get his daughters married, was then found by Rajesh near a garbage bin at a railway station. Kids like Manoj, who has a hole in his heart and two-year-old Shivani, who is HIV positive have now made the ashram their home and play joyfully in its vicinity. Through the foundation, Rajesh attempts to give these unknown faces an identity and a family, and help make their living a little more meaningful. He also performs the last rites of the inmates, according to one’s individual religious practices. His journey has not been an easy one. Prior to starting the ashram, Rajesh was an attender to patients, who did not have family members, at various hospitals. According to Rajesh, destitutes in hospitals are neglected because none of them have attenders. “They are found sleeping in their own excretion, or are covered in flies, even in the presence of doctors, nurses and ward boys. People do not even go near them.” Recalling his journey, Rajesh shares, “I started off with being an attender to 15 patients in different hospitals around 14 years ago. I used to hop places to maintain their body hygiene and give them their food and medicine on time. But, subsequently, as the number of people started increasing, it was tough to keep a tab on everybody,” recalls Rajesh. As a result, he then, gave up his visits to the hospitals and built a shed next to his house as a temporary shelter to bring all those patients under one roof. But, the residents protested and got it removed as they were afraid of the spread of the infection. “I was so helpless at that moment. It was so tough for me, as I had to leave them back on streets,” he shares. Added to that, Rajesh’s mother, K Bharathi, a government school teacher died of a heart attack, which left him shattered and that’s when he decided to start an ashram under her name. “She was a great source of motivation in my life and had supported me at every step,” he says.But, once the Bharathi Memorial foundation was established, meeting everyday needs has been quite a challenge for Rajesh. “From medical needs, to food and hygiene, everything had to be sorted out. Since I could not pay everybody’s medical bills, I decided to take up a male nurse training course from the Indian Red Cross Society for a year. That’s when I obtained legal permission to inject or dress their wounds,” says Rajesh, who himself had to preventive measures to avoid being infected. Says Rajesh, “There were times when I ended up with rashes all over my body, or a severe cough, as a consequence of treating patients. That’s why, twice a year, I have to take all kinds of vaccinations.” Apart from maintaining his own health and the health of the inmates in the ashram, maintaining finances also took a while to fall in place. Elaborating on this, he explains, “Since I was a student of Bala Vikasa Kendra, Ramakrishna Math has been our financial strength, apart from many other individual donors. We also started running a note-book making business in partnership.” Emphasising on the need for more destitute homes in the state, Rajesh points out, “Andhra Pradesh boasts of having over 300 orphanages and about 200 old age homes. But, all of these most often reject people with deadly diseases. Prior and post Independence, there has been only one organisation for the destitutes --- the ‘Nirmal Hruday’, which was started by Mother Teresa. There is a need for more destitute homes.” Bharathi Memorial Foundation has become Rajesh’s life’s mission. But, he is worried about its future. “Finances can be managed somehow. But all we need is manpower. We published various advertisements in newspapers, but to no avail. And, I am worried that there no one to take over the responsibility after me,” says Rajesh. “I have always followed Vivekananda's teaching and his one principle has been my lifeline. ‘If at least for a day, you can take the sorrow of others, it will add meaning to your life and the rest is a waste,” Rajesh signs off on this note.For details log on to www.bharathimemorialfoundation.com, and their Facebook page at Bharathi-Memorial-Foundation-HYD. You can also email at [email protected]
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