Not Easy to Maintain as you Think
With a rise in the number of people rendered homeless, the
city of Kochi has found itself amidst another issue. While the citizens of the
city consider these people to be a menace, the truth begs to differ. It is
important to consider their situation – to think about what made them resort to
living on the streets along with rodents and stray dogs. One can easily find
inumerous people on the streets searching for food in garbage dumps. The first
thought that crosses one’s mind is to provide them with food. But what one
fails to realise is that they not only need food, but opportunities to help
them stand on their feet. Many youngsters who find themselves on the street,
rely on these people donating food and do not even try to work to make a
living. Shelters for the homeless usually only take in people who are capable
of doing their own work, thus making it easier for the staff of those shelters.
But Theruvoram is trying to approach this problem with a
different perspective. By committing to their new project “Theruvu Velicham”
(literal translation of which is ‘Street Light’), the NGO has been taking in
these homeless people and providing them with a temporary home. Not everybody
is aware about the programme. They face their own challenges while rescuing the
people in need. These people from the streets are used to a certain freedom
which they are not able to find at rehabilitation centres. These people, who
have lived most of their lives without anybody being concerned about them,
often retaliate in the begin
-ning because they find themselves in a completely different environment in the rehabs. They often turn violent because of various other reasons such as addiction to alcohol and narcotics, which surprisingly is very easily available in the rurality of Kerala. While many people often report to us about the person on the street, the people do not what happens after that. While successfully accomplishing their duty of informing the NGO, it should also be noted what the NGO faces when looking after these people. Often violent inmates make it really difficult to be taken care of. Also, the treatment of these patients costs a huge amount and the NGO is solely run on the basis of donations. More people are required to work for the NGO in general. Many of these inmates find themselves on the street because their own family considered them to be a menace, irrespective of their medical conditions. The police also plays an important role in the rescue operations. “Even though there are many people willing to help these homeless destitute, not many take the time from their lives to actually help them out. It is men like me who put in the effort to make a change in their lives even though we might not have the financial stability to do so,” adds,social activist Murugan S Theruvoram. While the world is taking a turn towards the worse, the NGO believes that they are doing their part by committing to this noble cause.
All we are trying to do is educating the people who do not
realise the harsh realities of the lives of these people. While many are just
said to be mentally unstable, it is also important to know their story in order
to treat them. They are not uncivilised, but just used to a different way of
living. They are not a problem in our society – they are one of us and we
should treat them like it. If treated with love and care, even they can be
uplifted to a level where they can live on their own. They are not uncivilised,
but just used to a different way of living. 
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