Krishnan's mission in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, is to feed the mentally disabled people roaming the streets. WHAT he saw changed his life forever. Cycling down the streets of Madurai one afternoon in 2002, Krishnan saw an elderly man. He was destitute and mentally ill but what shocked the young hotel executive, who then worked for a five-star chain in Bangalore, was that the man was eating his own waste.
"I was benumbed. From a nearby eatery, I purchased 10 idlis, washed the man's hand with the drinking water I was carrying, and gave him the food, which he polished off in no time. Sleep deserted me that night as the old man's image kept flitting in and out of my mind."
Changed life:
By the following morning, Krishnan, who was about to leave for a training program in Switzerland, had decided to walk away from his future. He quit his job and to the dismay of his parents, he spent the next two months cycling around Madurai and distributing food packets that he purchased from his savings to mentally ill destitutes.
"I started by using my mother's kitchen," he recalls. Single-handedly cooking three meals a day for 40 people, packaging, and distributing them was no easy task. But Krishnan was determined in the face of his parents' worries about his newfound "vocation."
But now, they are proud of what he did. Krishnan never stopped providing free food for people, but the numbers have grown steadily. Today, about 125 people are covered by the free food scheme. They had to build a separate kitchen in the house. His father, an LIC employee, used to pitch in occasionally, chopping vegetables and packing the food items. One day, a young boy, Mani, walked in after quitting his job in a local hotel to help Krishnan in cooking.
Informal network:
Every day, a red-colored van crisscrosses Madurai, covering a distance of 120 kilometers and delivering food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Maruti van is a donation from a family friend, and funds that come in from friends and relatives are channeled into the Akshaya Trust, which he set up.
"Since we feed 120 people now, we no longer make packets. Food is carried in the same big vessel in which it is cooked and served on disposable homemade plates of newsprint and butter paper. We collect used plastic bottles from hotels and fill them with potable water for distribution along with food," says Krishnan, who now has two more volunteers in his team, a driver, and a helper.
The Akshaya van stops whenever it spots someone in need. It could be on the top of a road or rail bridge, bus stops, busy market, traffic crossing, or the railway junction. But the team feeds only the mentally ill destitutes. "Only if there are leftovers, we distribute it among beggars or other able-bodied poor," says Krishnan.
And his menu is like a regular home menu. "I feed them what I eat myself, and there is never any compromise on quality. Every meal is cooked fresh," he asserts. Breakfast is either idli, dosa, ven pongal, or rava upma. Lunch and dinner vary between rice varieties like biriyani, curd rice, and bissi bela bhaath.
Keeping it going:
Krishnan claims that not a single meal has been missed so far. "My family or friends step in if I am ill or away," he says. "If I leave them hungry for a day, they will again return to garbage bins," fears Krishnan whose arrival is awaited by many. "Some smile when I give them food, some don't even look at me, acknowledge, or recognize me. But I go to them daily. There are some who remember their names and family but those who don't, we have named them after film stars," he says.
Krishnan guesstimates that there are at least 500 mentally deranged people roaming the streets of Madurai. But he is able to cover only 120, including 35 women, given the time constraint and also the cost.
Proof: Sunday, Jun 04, 2006, The Hindu.
From India, Coimbatore
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)
746"I was benumbed. From a nearby eatery, I purchased 10 idlis, washed the man's hand with the drinking water I was carrying, and gave him the food, which he polished off in no time. Sleep deserted me that night as the old man's image kept flitting in and out of my mind."
Changed life:
By the following morning, Krishnan, who was about to leave for a training program in Switzerland, had decided to walk away from his future. He quit his job and to the dismay of his parents, he spent the next two months cycling around Madurai and distributing food packets that he purchased from his savings to mentally ill destitutes.
"I started by using my mother's kitchen," he recalls. Single-handedly cooking three meals a day for 40 people, packaging, and distributing them was no easy task. But Krishnan was determined in the face of his parents' worries about his newfound "vocation."
But now, they are proud of what he did. Krishnan never stopped providing free food for people, but the numbers have grown steadily. Today, about 125 people are covered by the free food scheme. They had to build a separate kitchen in the house. His father, an LIC employee, used to pitch in occasionally, chopping vegetables and packing the food items. One day, a young boy, Mani, walked in after quitting his job in a local hotel to help Krishnan in cooking.
Informal network:
Every day, a red-colored van crisscrosses Madurai, covering a distance of 120 kilometers and delivering food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Maruti van is a donation from a family friend, and funds that come in from friends and relatives are channeled into the Akshaya Trust, which he set up.
"Since we feed 120 people now, we no longer make packets. Food is carried in the same big vessel in which it is cooked and served on disposable homemade plates of newsprint and butter paper. We collect used plastic bottles from hotels and fill them with potable water for distribution along with food," says Krishnan, who now has two more volunteers in his team, a driver, and a helper.
The Akshaya van stops whenever it spots someone in need. It could be on the top of a road or rail bridge, bus stops, busy market, traffic crossing, or the railway junction. But the team feeds only the mentally ill destitutes. "Only if there are leftovers, we distribute it among beggars or other able-bodied poor," says Krishnan.
And his menu is like a regular home menu. "I feed them what I eat myself, and there is never any compromise on quality. Every meal is cooked fresh," he asserts. Breakfast is either idli, dosa, ven pongal, or rava upma. Lunch and dinner vary between rice varieties like biriyani, curd rice, and bissi bela bhaath.
Keeping it going:
Krishnan claims that not a single meal has been missed so far. "My family or friends step in if I am ill or away," he says. "If I leave them hungry for a day, they will again return to garbage bins," fears Krishnan whose arrival is awaited by many. "Some smile when I give them food, some don't even look at me, acknowledge, or recognize me. But I go to them daily. There are some who remember their names and family but those who don't, we have named them after film stars," he says.
Krishnan guesstimates that there are at least 500 mentally deranged people roaming the streets of Madurai. But he is able to cover only 120, including 35 women, given the time constraint and also the cost.
Proof: Sunday, Jun 04, 2006, The Hindu.
From India, Coimbatore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear Mr. Sardhar,
This article is not just to read but to act.
By posting this article on CiteHR, you did a very good job, I must say. But what comes after that? Is this an article to read, comment on, and then forget?
Why can't we all HR professionals come together under one umbrella and do something like what Krishnan is doing?
I asked this question earlier in my PowerPoint presentation "MIND-BLOWING COMPANY," but all I received in reply were views. No feedback or comments.
We call ourselves Human Resource Professionals, but first, we need to think. Does "Professionalism" mean "Insensitive Human Beings"? Those who only write comments, say good job, keep it up, great work, etc., but when it comes to the real ground, they just wait and wait.
I don't know if only doing good jobs, working with MNCs, and getting lucrative packages solve the purpose of our birth, or if there is something else expected of us from our country and society.
With Regards,
Sujeet S. Rajawat
Asst. Manager HR
Vijay Solvex Limited
Alwar - Rajasthan
From Nigeria, Lagos
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
This article is not just to read but to act.
By posting this article on CiteHR, you did a very good job, I must say. But what comes after that? Is this an article to read, comment on, and then forget?
Why can't we all HR professionals come together under one umbrella and do something like what Krishnan is doing?
I asked this question earlier in my PowerPoint presentation "MIND-BLOWING COMPANY," but all I received in reply were views. No feedback or comments.
We call ourselves Human Resource Professionals, but first, we need to think. Does "Professionalism" mean "Insensitive Human Beings"? Those who only write comments, say good job, keep it up, great work, etc., but when it comes to the real ground, they just wait and wait.
I don't know if only doing good jobs, working with MNCs, and getting lucrative packages solve the purpose of our birth, or if there is something else expected of us from our country and society.
With Regards,
Sujeet S. Rajawat
Asst. Manager HR
Vijay Solvex Limited
Alwar - Rajasthan
From Nigeria, Lagos
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
I agree with Sujeet.
I am glad and proud that there are people like Krishnan. We too, in our way, can definitely do something.
And Cite HR being a family, we can definitely club in for a noble purpose as well.
Regards, Nidhi
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
I am glad and proud that there are people like Krishnan. We too, in our way, can definitely do something.
And Cite HR being a family, we can definitely club in for a noble purpose as well.
Regards, Nidhi
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
First of all, I must say that this is a thought-provoking article. Great job done by Mr. Peer.
Dear Sujeet Sir,
After reading your post, I can feel the fire in your words. Honestly, till now, I was also doing the same thing that you mentioned for professionals - commenting, giving feedback, appraising, and forgetting.
At times, I also feel that we should do something for our nation as we are liable for that and it is our responsibility. However, I am not clear about what that something should be.
Do let us know if you have something in your mind; we can surely do something for society and the nation.
And lastly, thanks for such a motivating post.
Regards,
Raj
From India, Jaipur
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear Sujeet Sir,
After reading your post, I can feel the fire in your words. Honestly, till now, I was also doing the same thing that you mentioned for professionals - commenting, giving feedback, appraising, and forgetting.
At times, I also feel that we should do something for our nation as we are liable for that and it is our responsibility. However, I am not clear about what that something should be.
Do let us know if you have something in your mind; we can surely do something for society and the nation.
And lastly, thanks for such a motivating post.
Regards,
Raj
From India, Jaipur
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hey all,
Since childhood, I have wanted to do something for the underprivileged children of our country, but I never found the right path or support to do so. Can we all organize in some manner to at least take some steps for it?
Regards,
Swati
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Since childhood, I have wanted to do something for the underprivileged children of our country, but I never found the right path or support to do so. Can we all organize in some manner to at least take some steps for it?
Regards,
Swati
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear sir,
This should make us think about how many people in the world are like this? We are HR professionals, and we have to do something for such people. Why can't we contribute something, even if it's just one rupee, to help such individuals in each area? Not only these people but also some to orphanages or old age homes in their areas.
Your comments, please.
Regards,
Gayathri.
From India
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
This should make us think about how many people in the world are like this? We are HR professionals, and we have to do something for such people. Why can't we contribute something, even if it's just one rupee, to help such individuals in each area? Not only these people but also some to orphanages or old age homes in their areas.
Your comments, please.
Regards,
Gayathri.
From India
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear All,
I totally disagree with your views. Why do the poor and middle-class people always have to come forward for the underprivileged individuals? I have never heard of any rich person stepping up, and not a single political leader (today's leaders) - they always talk about the betterment of society but never donate even a rupee as a contribution.
The prevailing inflation rate is known to all of you. Nowadays, it is very hard to meet the daily needs of our own families. How can we afford charity? It is very easy to say or write that we should also do something, but in reality, out of all, only HR people, hardly one or two will step forward.
In conclusion, my suggestion to all my seniors and friends: if you genuinely want to help the ignored or challenged ones, go and search in your city. You will find many institutes running; contribute your services if money is not possible.
I understand that we all only get one Sunday, and that is for our family and pending work at home. We have no time.
I apologize if I have hurt anyone.
Regards,
Joydeep
From India, Bhopal
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
I totally disagree with your views. Why do the poor and middle-class people always have to come forward for the underprivileged individuals? I have never heard of any rich person stepping up, and not a single political leader (today's leaders) - they always talk about the betterment of society but never donate even a rupee as a contribution.
The prevailing inflation rate is known to all of you. Nowadays, it is very hard to meet the daily needs of our own families. How can we afford charity? It is very easy to say or write that we should also do something, but in reality, out of all, only HR people, hardly one or two will step forward.
In conclusion, my suggestion to all my seniors and friends: if you genuinely want to help the ignored or challenged ones, go and search in your city. You will find many institutes running; contribute your services if money is not possible.
I understand that we all only get one Sunday, and that is for our family and pending work at home. We have no time.
I apologize if I have hurt anyone.
Regards,
Joydeep
From India, Bhopal
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear All,
This is a great difference made to the needy people. Why only in Madurai? We should become "Krishnan" for other cities all over our country! As mentioned by a few of our CITEHR members, let us all join hands to do something humane for this society where we all are.
"If one man can make so much difference, then 136072 members of CITEHR can make 'N' number of times difference to the whole nation!"
Can't we? Something to think about... Isn't it?
Warm Regards,
Aarti
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
This is a great difference made to the needy people. Why only in Madurai? We should become "Krishnan" for other cities all over our country! As mentioned by a few of our CITEHR members, let us all join hands to do something humane for this society where we all are.
"If one man can make so much difference, then 136072 members of CITEHR can make 'N' number of times difference to the whole nation!"
Can't we? Something to think about... Isn't it?
Warm Regards,
Aarti
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)CiteHR is an AI-augmented HR knowledge and collaboration platform, enabling HR professionals to solve real-world challenges, validate decisions, and stay ahead through collective intelligence and machine-enhanced guidance. Join Our Platform.
PLAN YOUR DAILY WORK ACTIVITIES TELUGU - ppt.pdf
Death while in service letter for pf death claim.docx