Home of hope in dire straits

SARAS, a noble initiative, has no saviour today. The inmates — children and the aged, are left to live in semi-darkness as power supply is snapped due to non-payment of dues. They survive on the leftover food from a college mess.

As one drives down to Shamirpet Lake area, one will enjoy the wide roads, tall trees and rows of defence colonies. In the midst of this beauty, one will hardly notice a seemingly lifeless small Dhaba (Mess). It is a depressing reflection of harsh reality.

Walk inside, you will be surprised to see 52 children below 15 years of age playing in semi darkness and 50 old people with health problems and physical disabilities sitting and groaning in pain .

Save All Reach All Society (SARAS) which has so far run this charity home was started in 2008 by V Suvartha. After running successfully for few years the home decided to adopt orphaned

children and since then it became an old age home as well an orphanage.

Ironically, this one move backfired. “We were living in a big resort near the lake but after these children came the owner had a problem and asked us to leave, ever since then were are living in this Dhaba,” recalls Sri Ram, one of the inmates. He has been the caretaker of the house since the inception.

With limited fund and resources SARA is unable to perform its noble task. Donors are not forthcoming. Since the last two months there has been no electricity as they do not have money to pay an outstanding due of `3,000. Small children and senior citizens have been sitting in the heat all day long. “The other home was better; here we have no electricity since the last two months. Day time is better than the nights when our condition is worse, there are so many mosquitoes. We fall down several times on our way to the bathroom. What can we do? We don’t have a choice,” laments Ramulu Ammma, who has been living here ever since her husband died. She says, “if I had children may be they would have preserved our family business but our cruel relatives stole all my wealth and I am here empty handed.”

Just like her, some came here on their own will and some others were sent by their village heads. “People often take advantage of young women who wander in the village, our Amma goes and gets them here,” said Jyothi, a mother of two young children who after the death of her husband, was sent to SARAS by the village pastor.

Seeing the plight of these 110 people living in misery, BITS Hyderabad students who stay just a few kilometers away from the home have been supplying them with leftover mess food. “One of the students came with the idea and we got the required permissions from the college authorities. 1,300 students have registered in our mess but only 800 to 900 come to eat so the remaining food we give it to SARAS after 3pm,” says Srikar Akula, student mess council member.

Not only BITS students but the auto mandal union is also helping them by delivering food from campus to the home free of cost. Students fear that their campus will be closed for the next two months and how will the home manage their food crisis.

“We will have to do something and make arrangements especially to protect ourselves from the rains. The next two months are going to be difficult says Budha Amma, Naglonda district.

Students here go to Ever Green Public School. The tuition fee is paid by a local MLA but they do not have uniform and other required facilities. “I have enrolled them in a good school but ever since they shifted they did not give me any notification. I have no clue about their new place, if told I will surely help them,” says Kitchannagari Lakshma Reddy, local MLA.

Meanwhile M Reddy Babu and P Sahadev who came from Chittoor district in search of job have stayed back due to unemployment. They teach students and are a major support for the organisation.

Young girls like Mange M studying pharmacy had left her home as her parents refused to educate her and Vaishali who has no idea how she landed here, takes care of the old men and women who need help.

Tags: featured, full-image, old age home, orphanage, SARAS, Save All Reach All Society

Category: City