Awards & Accolades

About  The Founder ( Courtesy Book: BEING YOU AGAINST ALL ODDS) from Preethi Rai

T RAJA ( SOCIAL WORKER )

I am the eldest of four siblings, the son of a linesman and a housewife. Because of his job, my father used to shift houses a lot and I would have to change schools. Over time, I became the oldest in my class and started losing interest in my studies. I fell into bad company, began drinking and smoking, and was addicted to the movies. Slowly, I began stealing to feed my addictions. Eventually, after a lot of beating, my parents started distancing themselves from me.

When I was 16, my father threw me out of the house. For two years, I lived like a beggar, slept on the pavement amidst rabid dogs and garbage. I finally went to Chennai with the dream of working in the film industry and got myself a job as a cleaner in a hotel. The first week, they did not payme my salary and so I stole all their plates and ran away. It was then that I met an old couple, both of whom were beggars. They took me home, fed me and sheltered me, but when they headed out the next day, I tried to steal their copper lamps. Neighbours caught me and beat me up. I escaped to the train station but the police caught me and sent me to a juvenile home. That is when things started to change.

There were many things that were like hell in the home, but it was there that I was introduced to yoga and spirituality. As converted Christians, I began bartering with Jesus to let me out of the home before Christmas. I said my life would be dedicated to him after that. Miraculously, in ten days, my parents came, paid the fine and took me away back to Bengaluru. I started driving an auto. But old habits die hard. I quickly became the bodyguard for the head of our auto union and began acting up. When the Transport Minister banned autos, I went to the gates of the Vidhana Soudha and even poured petrol on myself, threatening to burn myself. My friends put some sense into me and that is when I began thinking about my life.

It was 1996, the year Mother Teresa died. I saw people dressed in rags defecating on the road and I began questioning God again. If there is a home for dogs in this world, why are these people left without a home? That is when I discovered my purpose on Earth. My first rescue was a lady from SP road. She was covered in fleas, dressed in rags, and maggots were chewing on to her toes. I brought her back in my auto and began rescuing people. I’d clean and shave them, and dress and feed them. I faced a lot of resistance when I first started out- from the destitutes who were not used to having people care, from others who thought I was doing this for an organ theft racket, and from my own parents.

Over the last two decades, I have rescued over 19,000 destitutes and given around 9000 people a decent burial. After all, every person has a right to live and die with dignity. Through the journey, I have continued to fight for their basic needs