When M. Ramaswamy and his wife Varalakshmi started ‘Akshaya Kshetram’, a home for special children in 1996, they did not have an idea of what could be in store. After sharing their love and affection with 140 disadvantaged lives for two decades, they found that the treacherous path strewn with thorns had metamorphosed into a bed of roses.
Mr. Ramaswamy, who entered his 90th year last Saturday, is as agile and lively as on the day he started his mission. When he established the home in the heart of the city in the late nineties, the physically and mentally challenged inmates were ostracised by residents of the vicinity, forcing them to move out to the outskirts. Today, the 2.5-acre Ashram in Durgasamudram housing 80 girls and the two-acre home for 60 boys in Renigunta are as holy as temples. The couple recently completed 65 years of their married life and celebrated it by showering more affection on the inmates.
While most voluntary organisations depend heavily on government funds, Akshaya Kshetram has consciously steered clear of this path. “I don’t want to waste my energy facing the hurdles one need to cross to access government funds. Moreover, I have full faith in public sympathy,” Mr. Ramaswamy told The Hindu in a birthday-eve interview.
The latest addition to the home is a two-year-old physically and mentally retarded infant, who was found abandoned in front of Sri Venkateswara temple at Tirumala on Saturday. “I deem him as Lord’s gift on my 90th birthday,” said Mr. Ramaswamy, brimming with pride. In fact, 52 out of the 140 inmates at this home are abandoned children. As their birth date is not known, their combined birthday is celebrated on January 1 every year. Of late, many families celebrate their domestic and festive occasions by sharing their joy with these deprived children. Local schools also make it a practice to visit the home on Children’s Day (Nov. 14) to facilitate an interaction between the normal children and these special children.
The trained teachers help the kids perform Yoga and say their prayers before a meal, besides training them to think and act independently. Thanks to TTD’s support, the paper covers and cloth bags made by these children are sold at the Laddu counters at Tirumala, which partially aids their sustenance.
Nonagenerian M. Ramaswamy and his wife Varalakshmi started ‘Akshaya Kshetra’, a home for the special children, in 1996
