Best Out of Waste

Theruvoram NGO has been working towards the betterment of the people who find themselves on the street. These people are offered a shelter home at the NGO’s centre and taken care of by the officials of the organisation. This includes food provided to them all the time, a place to sleep, hygienic requirements, etc – basically anything and everything required by a person to live a good life. The NGO gets its funding by generous donors as well as an amount allocated by the government for this project. Although it is not enough to sustain for a whole year, the NGO has found its own ways to use the resources, which are often considered to be waste by the others.

Interns and inmates helping out at Theruvoram NGO

Kerala is well known for its tropical climate and unbearable heat during the months of April and May. In a state, with its abundance of coconut trees, people find solace by drinking coconut water, which is the most affordable resource to cool down the body after a long day in the sun. The NGO has asked a local coconut water seller to give the organisation the waste generated in the form of coconut shells, which will then be used as a fuel resource for the organisation. Not only coconut shells, but materials like sugarcane waste as well as dry, waste wood from the furniture stores are given to the organisation. This waste is used as fuel for the kitchen, in which the food is prepared for all the inmates there. This way of using the resources has helped the organisation save a lot of money which would otherwise be used up as ‘gas money’.

The front yard of Theruvoram NGO  

Taking coconut shells in Kochi.

The organisation is trying their level best to recycle as much as possible. The founder of the NGO, Murugan S says that, “These materials are often thrown away by the people and not looked back upon. We on the other hand are using them up like this and I am sure we are ending up saving a lot of money as well as resources. Today, when the world is getting devoid of its resources, it is important to notice one’s day to day waste and its potential. I believe we are contributing towards the environment in a good way by continuing this.”

Not only that, the volunteers in the organisation are also giving their hand to serve these inmates. This fuel waste was cleaned up by the volunteers as well as the inmates, which was then used as fuel for the kitchen. The officials themselves indulged in the cooking of food for all these people and everybody enjoyed a hearty meal together. The NGO is trying its best to sustain with whatever resources are available to them and has been successfully doing so for six years now.

A painful Memory - Narayani Teacher

When Theruvoram NGO Founder Murugan found Narayani amma on the streets of Kochi, he was devastated to see her condition.  She was suffering from a skin disease which forms boils on her skin which later pops and blood oozes out. She often cries out in pain,  but all her screams go in vain. She often used to ask the onlookers for alcohol as that was the only way to subside her physical pain.  

The passengers and commuters usually find her on the unpaid tracks of the railway station and they get terrified by her physical appearance, which makes them feel disgusted to even offer her a meal or a helping hand. 

Murugan S was informed about her by the shop keepers near the railway station and on spot without any hesitation he was ready to save this ailing Teacher.  He confirmed with the doctor that the skin disease doesn't spread through contact with the skin . A social worker from heart,  Murugan picked up Narayani amma and took her to the hospital for further medical treatment.  Narayani amma was adamant not to move from her space at the beginning but then she bulged in. Murugan shares a very special bond with her as her last words still tingle in his ears making him to become more of a human every day. 

"Nobody, no other human has ever touched me in the past 25 years other than you my son," said Narayani Amma during her last stages of her life. She passed away few weeks after the treatment.

Six Years of Theruvu Velicham

Theruvoram NGO founder Murugan S, after rescuing children off the street.

Theruvoram NGO has been working towards rescuing the people thriving on the street for more than ten years now. Today, that is 16th May 2019, marks a very important day for the organisation – it was six years today on 16th May 2013, that the organisation started its effective project “Theruvu Velicham”, along with the support of the government. ‘Theruvu Velicham’ as a project aims at saving people from the street – mentally challenged, old, abandoned, everybody finds a home at this project centre.

         

Another rescue operation by Theruvoram NGO.

Located in Kakkanad, the techpark of Ernakulam, the centre of ‘Theruvu Velicham’ has been able to house more than ten thousand inmates till date. This blog features the experiences and challenges faced by the founder of the project and the NGO, Murugan S, in the form of an exclusive interview.

Q: How and why did you start an organisation like this?

Murugan: As a child, I would say that I did not have a proper childhood that a child deserves. My family was poverty stricken, there was a point where my parents could not afford my education as well. I have spent most of my life at orphanages and it was only after the age of 18 that I was exposed towards child help centres – where I found my calling. I was sure I had to do my best to help these people – the people who found themselves on the streets after harrowing experiences, I just wanted to provide them with opportunities to help them and grow. I had the support of many people to do the same. I will never forget the help I received from all of them and will be forever grateful to them.

              

Murugan S on duty.

Q: Can you share some of your experiences with the people who are reading the blog?

The man with the steel wire rescued by Theruvoram.

Murugan: As a team, we have encountered many experiences. I would never forget a few of them. Like once, we found a man near the railway station who did not have a home. He was fully clothed but there was an unpleasant smell emanating from him, nobody dared to go near him because of the smell. Our team was called and we realised that there was a metal wire which had been wound around his arm, and because of the untreated wound caused by it there was the smell which could not be ignored. We took him to the doctor and got him treated. Currently he is in the rehabilitation centre. One other case like that is about a person suffering from leprosy. The person, who cannot be named because of confidentiality, didn’t have fingers and could not even clean himself after going to the loo. Nobody came forward to help him and our organisation was contacted. This was about five years ago. Our team rescued him, cleaned him, and currently he is in the rehab getting treated.

Murugan also adds, “As an organisation we try our best to help the people in need while trying to make the best out of what we have. We have cultivated various types of plants in the space provided to us and also indulge in bird rearing, especially pigeons. Currently we house around 25 people, especially old people. The NGO does not have the license to house children yet. But we try to make the best out of whatever we can. We face a lot of challenges in the process – even though many people provide us with all sorts of material support, the NGO primarily requires monetary support from the helpers.

Just some farming by the founder of Theruvoram NGO.

This post will also serve as a big thank you post to all the people who have helped reach the NGO to where we are today. To all the help that we received from the police department as well as the government, it is only because of them that we have been able to pursue this noble cause. And a final thanks to all those who are reading this post, to take their time and read our experiences. Together, let us try to make this world a better place for everybody.”

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.