Mr. Thomas Raja
“The real journey
of life is the journey within.” This statement speaks about the distance one
covers to discover the true meaning of life. There is always a point of
transition in one’s life, after which the person starts relating his actions to
his objective. This story talks about such a transformation phase in Mr. Thomas
Raja’s life.
A large section of
India’s population is poverty ridden. Though some people do give it a thought
to help this backward mass, only a few of them originate any actions. T. Raja
is one among that selected chunk of people who have taken initiatives to help
these underprivileged people. He shelters around 350 destitute in his own
trust, named New Ark Mission of India in the Doddagubbi village. He founded
this trust with the help from some Christian missionaries in 1997. He picks up
people who are starving, stinking, with fatal diseases like AIDS, cancer,
mental diseases etc and who are not wanted and touched by any one, lying
unattended in the roads. The number of such handpicked persons from the city of
Bangalore has reached the count of 450 now and on an average, the overall count
of such persons in the last 18 years is found to be around 4000. The aim of
this Home of Hope organization is to rescue the lives of the homeless ones.
When asked about
his early phases of life, he elaborates,” My native
place is Tamil Nadu. We came to Karnataka 50 years before and my father had a
service in the telephone department. After his retirement, we went back to
Tamil Nadu. We were a very happy family. My father used to facilitate my
studies, but I was never interested in studies. I had become a thief and I used
to enjoy with my friends from the money I stole. In an early age, I got into
the habits of smoking and drinking. My lifestyle was becoming worse. I sold my
mother’s mangalsutra and used the money to drink and watch movies with my
friends. My parents used to cry because of me and they wished I was never born.
My parents didn’t like me. They used to hide food from me and curse me because
of my activities. They always asked me not to return home. There was no one to
care of me. I always thought, I was right and then one day I left my home. I
lived on footpath, bridges, railway station, bus stand, near garbage and where
not. I also lived with street dogs. I went to Chennai. There also I did the
same wrong thing. There was a poor family who gave me shelter and in return I
cheated them. I robbed them and was caught. People beat me but I managed to run
from there.
After
some days, I was caught by police. I was sent to jail at an age of 16. In jail,
the life was very miserable. We used to wear the same clothes for several days.
There were other criminals who misused the boys for homo sexuality. The prison
resembled hell. I lost my hope and became sick. I thought I might die there.
There was no one to take care of me. One day I cried, sitting in the middle of
300 people, closing my eyes and praying God to save me as I knew my parents are
too far to come for my rescue. I confessed all my sins to God and prayed to
forgive me and to heal my pain and I promised that I will change. Then,
surprisingly, I started recovering from my illness. I felt relieved and I
thought it was a miracle. I wished if I could move out of the prison before
Christmas. I wanted to go to my home and meet my parents. Then one fine
morning, I was astonished to find my parents looking for me in the jail. They
came to know about me by receiving a message from someone and then they took me
out of the prison by paying the fine amount in court. I apologized to my
parents. I bought an auto rickshaw with the help of my parents and started
driving.”
After spending
some time as an auto driver, Raja realized something, which changed his entire
life. He could feel sympathy for those poor and about to die people lying
beside the roads. While some of those unattended fellows were thrown out of
their houses, some others were disowned by their families, like Raja was, once
upon a time. He said, “I saw hundreds of
people lying on the road in miserable conditions. They didn’t have food,
clothes or any money with them. I wondered what I could do with them. No one
was there to help them. People used to run away from them because of the bad
odour coming out from them.”
The sight of these
impoverished people, made him think that they should be dealt with patience and
should be rehabilitated in proper ways. He could relate them with himself and
thus he thought they can improve if only they can be given better
opportunities. For a long time
he had to stay away from his home and family to serve these people. Though it
was pretty challenging for him, still he couldn’t abandon these people for whom
he was the only hope. So, with a motto to bring a difference in their
lives, he took one of these persons home. With limited income to feed his own
family, he knew he couldn’t provide many facilities to this deprived person,
but he had significant trust on God which made him hope that someday he will be
able to provide them a better living. He was often criticized by his neighbors
for bringing these poor people home. He explained about the situation, “I thought of Mother Teresa at that time. I
started feeding them. One day I saw a man lying naked. He had nothing to eat.
From that day onwards, I started taking these people to my own house. Initially
I took 2-3 people; my parents started scolding me. They thought I was mad and
also they felt I was creating a scene in the society. I used to go to people,
explained them about my service and asked them for donations.”
It was then that a
person named SR Manohar gave him ten thousand rupees and asked him to take a
house on rent. Then gradually
the Marwari and Jain communities extended hands of support to him by
financially helping him and assisting the poor ones to access medical care. In
the recent time, Raja stays in the same campus of the Home of Hope with his
family and inmates and today he is called the daddy of Home of Hope, for which
he is very happy. The personal touch that Raja provides to these
inmates coupled with the donations that Home of Hope receives are responsible
for the healthy living of these poor fellows. The sources of funds were
then collected from The India Campus Crusade for Christ and HD Kumaraswamy, the
former Chief Minister of Karnataka and so on. The CM also gave him a land and a
building. Thus he figured out the idea of Home of Hope. By that time he was
popularly named as Auto Raja.
There are many
people whose lives are transformed in Home of Hope. Raja quotes about a woman
Bano, who is now a resident. He says about the efforts they had to put to heal
her open wounds and scars and he mentions that the same woman is leading a much
better life now. Regarding the source, from which he knows about these poor
people, he explains,” Initially, I used to drive auto rickshaw in
the city and through that I came to know about these people. When the
organization (New ark mission) was set up to help these people, our mission was
to give them bath, food, shelter, clothes and medicine. We also engage them in
works like gardening, cleaning etc when they became physically fit for the same.
The media people helped me; they put a helpline number so these kinds of needy
people can contact me directly. They gave me a lot of publicity. They also
contacted me when they got any information about any old or sick person lying
on the streets. Now I don’t even go to rescue. The police and Government
hospitals bring these people to the rehabilitation centre. I am going to Tumkur
city tomorrow to rescue 40-50 people who are lying on the streets near
Siddaganga mutt. The local police have asked me to take them. Also, every month
10-15 people die in our home. Before dying, we fulfill their last wish. They
ask for chicken kebab or ice-cream. We fulfill their wish if we are able to.”
Raja knows about
these poor people on streets via the Bangalore Police. He reaches the areas
where these people are located with the help of ‘Dial 108’ ambulance emergency
services. Sometimes, these people are bought by some persons who are aware
about the organization. Raja has
been appreciated at several forums and media for his commendable job. He was
featured in numerous newspapers and was nominated by NDTV for his exceptional
social work. He even received the IBN Real Heroes Award.
Some common challenges that Raja faces include the
earning of donations or financial help to assist children of the organization
to attend schools, to meet expenses on basic requirements of these poor persons
like their food, medical requirements, clothing etc. The expenditures on these
inmates amount to around six lakhs rupees per month. He says, “There were too many problems at the start.
No one was helping me. My parents and wife used to scold me and thought I was
mad. I used to clean and feed people in the home on my own. When I used to go
out to rescue people, my wife used to give Rs 100 to the in-house people and
would ask them to leave. Currently the average monthly expense to operate is
6-8 lakhs. I don’t receive any support from the government. They have not
provided me any food or money. I only get support from public i.e. donations. “
The other notable hurdle the organization comes across is
dealing with patients who are mentally retarded. They are difficult to be taken
care of. Often they become violent and aggressive and thus cause difficulties
for the fellow inmates. There can be some other challenges where the family
members of the destitute go against the organization, file complain against it
and even force the poor persons to leave the place. For example once, a well
established railway official was abandoned by his daughter, who stole his
entire wealth. He was then brought to the Home, but soon his daughter came to
the organization to take him with her. He refused. As a result, the daughter
filed a complaint against the organization of kidnapping her father.
Raja talks about his inspiration that drives him. He
says, “I am more satisfied by doing this
social service. I feel happy when the people are rehabilitated and their
happiness is reflected on their face. As per Mother Teresa, “When I serve the
poor people, I see the God in their face”. Similarly when we open our hearts to
the needy people, our sin will be washed and our life will become bright. I
asked God to use me as an instrument for him.” When asked about his strong
points that helped him
to accomplish whatever he has have been able to he replies “I am deeply inspired by Mother
Teresa's service to the destitute. I myself was wandering in the streets of
Bangalore city. I used to sleep on the roadside and at railway stations. I had
the experience of street life. So, while driving auto, I used to see the people
lying on the road side and I recollected my past life. And then I asked God,
why can't I take these people to my home and give care. Naturally, once we
start the work, it will be carried smoothly. We should have commitment,
compassion and patience while caring for such destitute people. We should
always have love in and fear from God. In my opinion, we should set an example
for others in the society. Dedication, Compassion, Sacrifice and Hard work are
the main qualities an individual should have to do charity. Sometimes, I have
to work hard for 24 hrs continuously without rest. I don’t rely on staffs to do
my work. No matter what the work is, I will do it myself. I clean the bathroom,
I drive the vehicle, and I dump the garbage. Hard work is very important.”
Raja’s message to the society is, “You should love the neglected and thrown outs from the families. When
we travel and see these people, we should think that they are our country men.
It’s my responsibility to help them in any manner I can. We should not wait for
another Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi to come to our country and serve the
people. We should become like Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi and serve the
people.”
Hence, it is evident from the story of Mr. T. Raja that,
your past can’t stop your future. The scopes are widespread. All you need to do
is to grab the right opportunity to move forward and to establish a distinct
identity. Instead of just waiting for the right moment, one should start
investing in the moment to make it perfect. A thousand kilometers can be
voyaged beginning with a single step. Standing out of the crowd is one thing
that not everyone can do. The ones who can dare to rise over the selfish desires
are the true heroes our nation requires.
Primary Source: Telephonic Interview of
Mr. T. Raja conducted on 8th May.
1. What inspired to do whatever you have done
for making a difference to others? What are the sources of inspiration? (If you like you may mention any one or two
instances that changed your life and made you start something new or something
different that laid the foundation for your work)?
My native place is Tamil Nadu. We came to Karnataka 50 years before
and my father had a service in the telephone department. After his retirement,
we went back to Tamil Nadu. We were a very happy family. My father used to
facilitate my studies, but I was never interested in studies. I had become a
thief and I used to enjoy with my friends from the money I stole. In an early
age, I got into the habits of smoking and drinking. My lifestyle was becoming
worse. I sold my mother’s mangalsutra and used the money to drink and watch
movies with my friends. My parents used to cry because of me and they wished I
was never born. My parents didn’t like me. They used to hide food from me and
curse me because of my activities. They always asked me not to return home. There
was no one to care of me. I always thought, I was right and I left my home. I
lived on footpath, bridges, railway station, bus stand, near garbage and where
not. I also lived with street dogs. I went to Chennai. There also I did the
same wrong thing. There was a poor family who gave me shelter and in return I
cheated them. I robbed them and was caught. People beat me but I managed to run
from there.
One day I was
caught by police. I was sent to jail at an age of 16. In jail, the life was
very miserable. We used to wear the same clothes for several days. There were
other criminals who misused the boys for homo sexuality. The prison resembled
hell. I lost my hope and became sick. I thought I will die there. There was no
one to take care of me. One day I cried, sitting in the middle of 300 people,
closing my eyes and praying God to save me as I knew my parents are too far to
come. I confessed all my sins to God and prayed to forgive me and to heal my
pain and I promised that I will change. Then, surprisingly, I started
recovering from my illness. I was relieved and I thought it was a miracle. I
wished if I could move out of the prison before Christmas. I wanted to go to my
home and meet my parents. Before Christmas, my parents came to the jail on
receiving some message and took me out of the prison by paying the fine amount
in court. I apologized to my parents. I bought an auto rickshaw with the help
of my parents and started driving. I saw hundreds of people lying on the road
in miserable conditions. They didn’t have food, clothes or any money with them.
I wondered what I could do with them. No one was there to help them. People
used to run away from them because of the bad odour coming out from them. I
thought of Mother Teresa at that time. I started feeding them. One day I saw a
man lying naked. He had nothing to eat. From that day onwards, I started taking
these people to my own house. Initially I took 2-3 people; my parents started
scolding me. They thought I was mad and also they felt I was creating a scene
in the society. I used to go to people, explained them about my service and
asked them for donations. It was in 1997 after many months of my service, one
man named S.R. Manohar gave me ten thousand rupees to get a house for rent.
After that, I took a house on rent and started my service with 13 people.
2. How does your organization work for the
welfare for the society (please give some activities or programs done) and how
does it benefit them.
Initially, I used to drive auto rickshaw in the city
and through that I come to know about these people. When the organization (New
ark mission) was set up to help these people, our mission was to give them
bath, food, shelter, clothes and medicine. We also engage them in works like gardening, cleaning etc once they became
physically fit for the same.
The media people helped me; they put a helpline number
so these kinds of needy people can contact me directly. They gave me a lot of
publicity. They also contacted me when they got any information about any old
or sick person lying on the streets.
Now I don’t even go to rescue, the police and
government hospitals bring these people to the rehabilitation centre. I am
going to Tumkur city tomorrow to rescue 40-50 people who are lying on the
streets near Siddaganga mutt. Their local police station has called me and
asked me to take them.
Also, every month 10-15 people die in our home. Before
dying, we fulfil their last wish. They ask for chicken kebab or ice-cream. We
fulfil their wish if we are able to.
3. What are the challenges that you faced
while working on your initiative? (Can you share some incidents)
There were too many problems at the
start. No one was helping me. My parents and wife use to scold me and thought
me as mad. I use to clean and feed people I my home.
When I used to go out to rescue
people, my wife used to give Rs 100 to the in-house people and asked them to
leave.
Currently the average monthly expense to
operate is 6-8 lakhs. I don’t receive any support from the government. They
have not provided me any food or money. I only get support from public i.e.
donations.
4. What is your opinion on getting inspiration
and using your talent for doing simple things that eventually become great and
make a difference in the lives of others?
I am more satisfied by doing this social service. I feel happy when
the people being rehabilitated and see their happiness on the face.
As per Mother Teresa, “When I serve the poor people, I see the god
in their face”. Similarly when we open our heart to the needy people our sin
will be washed and our life will be bright. I asked God to use me as an
instrument for him and use me.
5. What do you consider as your own strong
points that helped you to accomplish whatever you have been able to? When did
you discover them? How? How did you cultivate them?
I have been inspired by Mother Teresa's service to the
destitute. I myself was wondering in the streets of Bangalore city. I used to
sleep on the roadside and at railway station. I had the experience of street
life. So, while driving auto I used to see the people lying on the road side
and I recollected my past life. And then I asked God, why can't I take these
people to my home and give care. Then I started picking up one by one and gave
them care and shelter. So, from last 18 years I am doing this service. By the
Grace of God and through the public donations I am able to do this service.
Naturally once we start the work, it will go on smoothly.
And we should have commitment, compassion and patience while caring such
destitute people.
6. What in your opinion are some of the
qualities that people need to cultivate to make a difference to others?
We should always have love and fear in god. In my opinion we should
be an example to others in the society.
Dedication, Compassion, Sacrifice and Hard work are the main
qualities any individual should have to do charity. Sometimes I have to work 24
hrs continuously without rest. I don’t rely on staff to do my work. No matter
what the work is I will do it myself. I clean the bathroom, I drive the
vehicle, and I dump the garbage. Hard work is very important.
7. What messages would you like to give for
others to be or to become an effective person?
You should love the neglected, thrown out from the families. When we
travel and see these people, we should think that these are our country men.
It’s my responsibility to help them in any manner I can.
We should not wait for one more Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi to
come to our country and serve the people. We should become like Mother Teresa
or Mahatma Gandhi and serve the people.
Below are references from which the
secondary data is collected on 4th May’15:
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