People of Theruvoram as Chefs for a Day

Theruvoram NGO founder Murugan S, cooking along with Chef Chengotte Rajesh for the inmates.

The people of Theruvoram faced a new challenge today. As mentioned in the previous blogs, Theruvoram’s ‘Theruvu Velicham’ project houses a minimum of 25 people from the street and takes care of them by providing them with everything – including a place to stay, food and facilities for maintaining personal hygiene. 

All of this is taken care of by the officials at the NGO themselves and the food is prepared inside the NGO premises itself. Today, due to certain reasons, the food was not prepared for the inmates and once the officials realised it, they came up with a new idea in order to make the task interesting.

Interns helping out Murugan S.

The people of Theruvoram – including all the six interns from different colleges currently volunteering there, the staff and the founder himself, Murugan S, took it up in their hands to prepare the food for the day.


Assisting chef Chengotte Rajesh, who also happens to be a relative of the founder, the food was prepared by them in less than three hours. After managing to make a considerably big spread, the food consisted of several items ranging from items served in a typical Kerala Sadya including Aviyal, Sambhar, Beans Thoran (Coconut based vegetable dish), Cabbage Thoran, Rasam, Papadam, Payasam (Kheer), served along with Rice, to typical Keralian Chicken Curry. All of these items were prepared by the team from scratch and they had a lot of fun in doing the same.

Interns helping out Murugan S.

A completely different experience for a few, every body assisted in all sorts of work – be it washing utensils, making the curry or washing ‘Banana leaves’ which are often used in traditional Kerala culture to serve food on.

Although tiring, the team had fun doing the work. All the items were made for many people as mentioned before and most of the times it is difficult for someone to manage cooking for so many people at the same time often leading to the loss of taste in the food. But the inmates liked the food prepared for them lovingly by the team and thoroughly enjoyed eating it. The team also served the inmates lunch in order to complete the experience. Afterwards, all of them enjoyed the wholesome meal together.

Understanding People: A New Learning Curve

Kochi, Wednesday: Known to many people across Kerala, Theruvoram NGO works towards the rehabilitation of the people on streets – the people who have been abandoned by their ‘families’ and left to survive on their own. Murugan, the founder and the present secretary of the NGO, considers these people to be his children while affectionately calling them his ‘Theruvu Makkal’ (Street Children). Devoted to the cause, Murugan and his team face no less difficulties. Most of these rescued people are in dire need of medical treatment, mostly mental treatment. The NGO tries its best with what little resources it has. One such program took place on Wednesday (8^th May 2019). A group of five people from the NGO were supposed to be admitted to the Thrissur Government Mental Hospital for them to get treated. Being a government hospital, the hospital provides treatment for minimal charge – the NGO cannot afford the private hospitals for its kids.

Inmates being taken to Thrissur Government Hospital by social work volunteers and Theruvoram NGO founder, Murugan S.

“Being a Social Science student, I never really realised how hard it is to take care of MR (mentally retarded) patients in real life, before interning here. We were a part of everything – from taking care of exhilarating experience,” shares Sandra Oommen, an MSW student from Amrita them to travelling till Thrissur with them, I can vouch that it was an Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Coimbatore), who is currently interning at the NGO.

The day started with Murugan, accompanied by the 6 volunteers at the NGO, trying their best to get the inmates who require treatment, into the ambulance. Resisting because of being introduced to an unknown environment, everybody tried their best to make them comfortable in the ambulance while making sure that nobody gets hurt. The first stop of the day was Ernakulam Government Hospital. It is important to take a report from the doctors over there in order to take the patients to Thrissur. So for the same, the patients were shown to the doctor there, one by one, while she diagnosed them. After that the team had to go to the Court in order to get the approval from the judge, in this case the CJM.

Murugan S, in front of Thrissur Government Mental Hospital.

Later, the inmates were taken to the mental hospital in Thrissur in an ambulance, personally driven by the founder along with the assistance of interns. The doctors there took the inmates in for a treatment period of ten days. While the journey was full of its ups and downs, the inmates were taken to the hospital on time and were provided with good care.

“As a communications student, I did not expect the work to be any thing more than simple documentation work. But, this opportunity served as a medium to understand the intricacies of social work and the work that the NGO does,” says Parvathi Sajiv Kumar, a student of Symbiosis Centre for Media and Communications, Pune. She adds, “It was a different experience for sure. Even though the ambulance did not smell pleasant because of the lack of bathing of the inmates, for sure we faced many difficulties. But the overall experience was amazing. I indulged in activities that I would not have got to indulge in anywhere else.”

Murugan S with Sandra Oommen, Parvathi Sajiv Kumar,
and Aishwarya Nair,interns at the NGO.

A fact to note here is that, as on a normal day, the court was busy with other hearings. The team had to sit with the inmates over there for about an hour but the judge was busy. The CJM, after realising that the team had been waiting for so long, passed the order without even seeing the inmates – that is the level of professionalism that the organisation has followed till date. People might think that the organisation is boasting about itself, but the fact is that even though after facing so many difficulties, the organisation makes sure to do everything in a systematic and professional way, which is also recognised by other people.

Aishwarya Nair, a student of Christ University, Bangalore, says, “It was a fun experience. We did not expect it to take up the whole day. Usually, when one sees a person on the street, they call up NGOs to ‘save’ the person. It is important to realise that there is much more to do after that. As interns, it is amazing that we got to be a part of such a task. It made us understand the work that is put into saving people, and how the public can be a part of it.”

The journey was super tiring, and the team got back to the NGO only by dusk. But the fact is, that this task had to be completed no matter what. After all, it is the responsibility of the organisation to take care of its beloved children.

Mother's Day in a Different Way

International Mother's Day as usual went along with children posting pictures of their mothers on social media but for director Krishnabhaskar Mangalasserri, it was a day with new beginnings.  12th May saw the screening of his new short film, "Innaleyolam" at Padma theatre, in Ernakulam. The important factor about this was that Mangalasserri’s movie was based on a story of a mother, while the movie was also screened for the first time on Mother’s Day.

Shortfilm director Dr. Sabu Mangalasseri with NGO Theruvoram founder S Murugan, TWE director Indu Ramesh, “Swanthanam Charitable Society” director Radha Menon and the mothers of Theruvoram outside Padma Theatres, Kochi.

The mothers at the organisation had a fun filled day on this special occasion. Meanwhile the
people in the theatre left with a heavy heart because of the way it ends, not giving any spoilers
though. The mothers of the organisation were happy to catch a break from their routine, and
were delighted to be acknowledged by the people outside of the NGO.

His movie talks about a mother ailing from dementia and the emotions her son goes through while taking care of her and once he starts to be with her.

“Innaleyolam” stars State award winner Sethu Lakshmi, Sudhhy Koppa, Shabareesh Varma and Sreedhanya in the lead roles. The short film has rich musicals. The BGM and the song “Innaleyolam“ is arranged by Kailas Menon and the title song “Manamaake” is arranged by the emerging youth band “Chumadu Thangi.”

The audience was the other highlight of the day - mothers of Theruvoram NGO were present and they were complimented with gifts. The founder of Theruvoram NGO, Murugan S and his wife Indu Ramesh were also felicitated at the premiere.

The mothers at the organisation had a fun filled day on this special occasion. Meanwhile the people in the theatre left with a heavy heart because of the way it ends, not giving any spoilers though. The mothers of the organisation were happy to catch a break from their routine, and were delighted to be acknowledged by the people outside of the NGO.

Another Rescue Operation by Theruvoram

Rescued from the street by Theruvoram NGO

Ernakulam, Puthiyakaavu: As it can be seen in our posts, we post the stories of our rescue operations to make people aware of what exactly we are doing at our NGO. One such rescue operation was carried out yesterday. About 12 30 in the night, we got a call from NSS officials near Thripunithura about a man who was on the street for a few months. Homeless and hungry for days now, this man found himself on the streets due to circumstances not known to us. About 70 years old, the man was in a very bad condition when we found him. 

Getting the man into the rescue vehicle.

Lying there on the street near the temple, the man had no hygiene – he even defecated in his clothes. Many people feel sorry for the person in such situations. Instead of that one should take a step and help that person, not pity the person. We saw that the man had a lot of money (around 2000 rupees) since he used to ask for alms in front of the temple. We were unable to figure out his name, but were determined to rescue him.

A completely new man!

The NSS officials who informed us about this man were kind enough to offer us money for the fuel. We use the ambulance donated to us by various organisations in order to carry out the rescue operations, but sometimes due to financial difficulties, we are unable to carry out things smoothly. Although we do not ask for financial support as much as possible, sometimes kind people like the ones yesterday, offer us money to help us out. It was in the middle of the night and even women who were part of the NSS were helping us out with the rescue operation. According to the rules, we were supposed to report the case at the nearest police station in order to get permission to provide temporary police station.

At this point, we would also like to mention how helpful the police officials at the Udayamperoor Police Station were even in the middle of the night. We were able to successfully complete the rescue operation and the man has been given temporary shelter at our NGO currently.

Savior on Wheels

Murugan S, featured on an episode of Satyamev Jayate, hit Hindi television show hosted by Mr. Aamir Khan

Shelter homes for mentally challenged

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.

 Presented by: Aishwarya Nair

 Psychiatric Social worker: Jenitta Varkeyachan

 Source and Idea credits: Theruvoram NGO Founder Murugan S

Where is this World going to?

Story of a mother who forgets her daughter due to consumption of drug (18/10/2008)

It was a night when Murugan received that call. During those days he used to rescue people in day time and drove auto rickshaw for living at night. The information was established from a woman. She informed about a mother who seemed to look like harming her own infant near Kalloor, at that very night under the possession of liquor she drank. He went to that place without wasting time. The place was crowded; there were a lot of people, staring and enjoying this inhuman act but none tried to stop her from hurting the child. Then two women approached him, one of them was a journalist named Manju, they were the ones who called Murugan.

She also accompanied with Murugan for saving the child. When they tried to approach the mother, she threw soil and stones at them and called them swear words. When he enquired about the mother, he understood that the mother’s name was Sharadha and she was mentally instable. As they failed to save the child, he contacted police for their help. When they came, the rescue mission was on. He grabbed the child from Sharadha, but she was still throwing stones at them. Finally he got hold of the infant in one hand and Sharadha on the other. Sharadha, who was not mentally stable due to her liquor consumption, was admitted to Ernakulam General Hospital and the infant was taken to Balabhavan that night.

The next day when Murugan went to visit Sharadha with food for her, he found out that she was missing. After a few days some people who claimed to be the parents of the infant and took that child from Balabhavan. Murugan was shocked by the implication that our Legal system is very weak to safeguard the basic safety of a citizen.

Even if there are lots of rules to safeguard the children of India, their weakness to guarantee the safety to these children like Sharadha’s child is a huge loophole to take advantage by the Beggar Mafia of today.