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Reaching out in Chennai
August, 2001: Udavum Karangal (the phrase means "Helping Hands" in Tamil) is a social service organisation established in 1983 for serving people in distress who are orphans and destitutes. It was founded by Mr. Vidyakar, a social worker. Shri Vidyakar and his team of volunteers care for about 1800 people, people who were deprived the privilege to live with their families due to various reasons such as mental or physical disability, sickness, sexual abuse, no parental care, AIDS and old-age. The place where they are housed is rightly called the "Helping Hands". Born in a village in Kollegal, near Mysore, Karnataka in a poor family Mr.Vidyakar was provided with shelter and a prolonged education culminating in a Masters degree in social work by Mr. Ramakrishnan of Chennai whom Vidyakar saved from getting hurt in a road accident. His own helping hands and his mentor's words "Help Others" helped himself to a career which is now helping hundreds of people! Udavum Karangal now has care homes in Coimbatore, Trichy and a school for children in Thirverkadu which caters to its residents as well as the education of children in neighbouring villages. In Mr. Vidyakar's words " It all began when I carried a eleven month old baby which was found abandoned in a theatre counter in Chennai. It has nowhere else to go. It needed care and I felt a sudden urge in me to take care of the baby. From that day onwards I came across many such unfortunate victims, including aids patients. With the dedicated help of about 50 volunteers Udavum Karangal today has become a haven for 1800 socially under-privileged persons." There were lots of credits and praise for the work that he does. He has been called the messiah of the discarded, and Madras's equivalent of Mother Theresa. As the institution has risen in stature, the demands to care for increasing inmates at its many centres have also risen. Mahesh B. Vinayagam
