Here are interviews of some people who
devoted their life to give love to the orphans and a home to
the homeless. Anjina Rajagoapal
is Executive Director, Saikripa, a society for homeless
children.
Mother Courage,
Published in 'Sunday Times of India, New Delhi, January
26,2003'.
Anjina Rajagopal,50, chucked her steno's
job to run Saikripa, a society for homeless children. She's
Mummy. What else would you call a woman who has 37 children
and plans to have more?
Anjina Rajagopal's first child happed by
chance. While walking to her office from bus stop one morning,
Anjina saw a boy being thrashed by a fruit vendor near ITO.
The vendor said the boy was an orphan and always pestered him
for food. Says Anjina," I went again back in the evening. The
child was crying helplessly. I decided to take him home." She
informed in the police and advertised in the newspaper. When
no one came forward to claim the boy she decided to look after
him. This happed in 1990. Rajat is 23 today. He has multiple
handicaps and still goes to special schools.
Anjina and a few like minded friends
decided to register a society, Saikripa, to look after
homeless children. Three months later, Rajat got a sister. By
1992, this single woman- a keralite from Karnataka - had
acquired a family of seven including an abandoned newborn. The
children stayed with Anjina at her small home in Noida.
Till the time Anjina had been managing with
her steno's salary and a donation of Rs 100 from the nine
society members.
Now, she decided to give up her job and
approached CRY for help. A charity show also helped them to
collect basic fund. The family grew.
Anjina has had to change three addresses
since then -- she couldn't afford to bye a property.
Now Cadence Design System, a software
company, has bought land for Saikripa and is building a two
and a half storey home. Anjina and her 30 children live in
their temporary quarters close by.
Seven of the brood have moved out and are
working - two as teachers in another Home in Narela and one as
a counter girl at Barista. The home runs mostly on donations
from organizations. The amount - Rs 20000 a month - is hardly
enough. People also chp in : a bori of rice, a tin of biscuits
or even a bundle of clothes. "These really help us tide over
the shortfall" says anjina.
Apart from the home (Bal Kutir), Saikripa
also runs two charitable schools - Sai Shiksha Sansthan in
Vazidpur and Sai Vidya Vatika in Agaapur. Anjina's children
goes to the Shiksha Sansthan.
Saikripa
Anjina Rajagoapal
Z-133/4 Sector,
Noida - 201304,UP,India.
Phone No : 91-120-2536416
91-120-2531146
Rais Ahemad
Cell Number : 9811020885
URL-
http://saikripa.org
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