A phone call was all it took for P Mahendiran , managing trustee of Eera Nenjam to rescue an old, hapless man who has been sleeping on the pavement in Puliakulam for the last few days. He was immediately taken to the shelter at RS Puram, where he was given a haircut, a bath, and new clothes. He was then welcomed by the 70-odd residents at the shelter. There was one similarity among all of them. They were indigent and were rescued from different parts of the state.Eera Nenjam, which was started in 2012, has been actively working toward rehabilitating abandoned and destitute people. “Before, we began the trust, whenever I saw such hapless people on the road, I would post their details online and try to locate their family. Later, I, along with my friends started giving them free haircuts on festive occasions, a ritual that continues till today. We soon decided to take the plunge into rehabilitating people in a full-fledged manner. After all, everyone born in the world has a right to life with dignity.”"Many a time, passers-by feel disgusted when they see these people in rags and the stench emanating from them. But, they do not make any effort to talk to them or find out who they are. That’s where we come in. After rescuing them, we provide them counselling , analyse their behavior and ask them to stay here. We then try to locate their friends and families to inform them about their whereabouts. Some of them go back to their families, while some prefer to stay here. There is no hard and fast rule about staying in the shelter. Some people have left the shelter after many years to reunite with their families.”The day at the shelter starts around 7 am when the elders wake up and get busy with their chores. “Some start their day with breakfast, while others prefer to clean the premises, wash their clothes, have a bath and then have breakfast. A few women get busy with cooking. The afternoons and evenings are generally spent watching television. Since most of them are very old, they cannot work hard,” he says.He adds, “The women also whip up breakfast for students studying at the corporation school nearby. Most of the students come to school without having breakfast and are unable to focus in the class. So, these meals help them stay awake and alert in the classroom. On festive occasions, students from orphanages in the city visit the shelter. The residents forget their worries and have a great time. We also take them out on temple visits and other outings. We celebrate Deepavali and Pongal with gusto at the premises.”Some of the stories at the shelter are heart-wrenching. “One of the residents here was found by us after he spent 20 years of his life on road. He had had a tough life and had lost both his parents. There was no one to take care of him. But, at the same time, he didn’t want to beg for a living. When we rescued him, he had very few memories of what had happened in those two decades of his life. We then brought him here and provided him counselling. He decided to stay here. He now takes care of other residents.”And that’s not all. Mahendiran has also restored the dignity of many people after death by providing many unclaimed bodies, a decent burial and cremation. “The dead too deserve a decent farewell. We have been cremating unclaimed bodies for quite some time. We try to find their kith and kin, but if we aren’t, we perform the last rites. It’s important the person’s families and friends know about it.”

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