A Tale of a Mother and her two sons - True Inspiring Story from Chennai Suburb
Magesh and Rajesh lost their father, who was working in the Eveready Battery in North Chennai when they were still very young (the elder one was in his teens). Their father within his limitations was trying to support many distant relations who were finding it difficult to make a living in the process putting himself and his family security at risk. When he was found to have a terminal illness whatever was remaining in the family saving too was wiped out and it took the last of his savings to see the family spend for his funeral. The sons were left with their mother and the remaining Rs. 30/- to fend for themselves. Magesh remembers spending the entire night with a crying mother and a brother too young to understand what has befallen them.
But, the father had instilled a spirit to fight and survive in his sons, so, they began...from a small start with helping others to learn their skills (both the kids dropped out of school at some point in time), the honed their skills in photography enough and had earned adequate to set-up their own small studio, the Sun Photo Studio at Kodungaiyur in the northern suburbs of Chennai. But, the father had not only left the family with the survival skills, he had also left them with a spirit of service. So, despite the family being in difficult conditions themselves, the brothers started to gather local students and organized evening classes in their terrace, a small student programme in the name, 'thalirgal' (a name that Magesh remembers of a childrens club he was a member of in better times when he used to be small boy). The small group of youth that gathered in their terrace slowly became the promising youth movement in the neighbourhood and some more youth from the locality volunteered, taking care of the students, providing them guidance and supporting her sons in all their endevours is Sampoornam Amma, an independent lady claims proudly that despite not going to school, neither of her sons have any vices! This may not look unusual unless one realizes the neighbourhood in which they live, where most of the youth are addicted to alcohol at a very young age or drugs and anti-social elements thrive.
Today, the brothers manage a Trust in their father's memory, RAS Sumaithangi Trust, and provide supplementary education to primary school children in their neighbourhood apart from also providing free uniform and educational aids to more than 50 students. And all their expenses comes from their own earning from the Studio apart from an occasional small donation. 'We would like to one day have our own educational institution where education is provided free to anyone who enrolls' said Rajesh when I first met him, 'why just school, we should even have a college', echoed Magesh!
Interesting? You can meet these brothers in person, the Trust celebrates its fourth anniversary on the 21st of July 2007 with a day long events including free eye camp, an awareness camp on employment opportunities for the disabled and distribution of free learning aids for students.
Their Contact details:
RAS Sumaithangi Trust
38, Narasimha Nagar, First Street,
Kodungaiyur, Chennai - 600118
Mobiles of Magesh and Rajesh: 09840161961, 09840253606
But, the father had instilled a spirit to fight and survive in his sons, so, they began...from a small start with helping others to learn their skills (both the kids dropped out of school at some point in time), the honed their skills in photography enough and had earned adequate to set-up their own small studio, the Sun Photo Studio at Kodungaiyur in the northern suburbs of Chennai. But, the father had not only left the family with the survival skills, he had also left them with a spirit of service. So, despite the family being in difficult conditions themselves, the brothers started to gather local students and organized evening classes in their terrace, a small student programme in the name, 'thalirgal' (a name that Magesh remembers of a childrens club he was a member of in better times when he used to be small boy). The small group of youth that gathered in their terrace slowly became the promising youth movement in the neighbourhood and some more youth from the locality volunteered, taking care of the students, providing them guidance and supporting her sons in all their endevours is Sampoornam Amma, an independent lady claims proudly that despite not going to school, neither of her sons have any vices! This may not look unusual unless one realizes the neighbourhood in which they live, where most of the youth are addicted to alcohol at a very young age or drugs and anti-social elements thrive.
Today, the brothers manage a Trust in their father's memory, RAS Sumaithangi Trust, and provide supplementary education to primary school children in their neighbourhood apart from also providing free uniform and educational aids to more than 50 students. And all their expenses comes from their own earning from the Studio apart from an occasional small donation. 'We would like to one day have our own educational institution where education is provided free to anyone who enrolls' said Rajesh when I first met him, 'why just school, we should even have a college', echoed Magesh!
Interesting? You can meet these brothers in person, the Trust celebrates its fourth anniversary on the 21st of July 2007 with a day long events including free eye camp, an awareness camp on employment opportunities for the disabled and distribution of free learning aids for students.
Their Contact details:
RAS Sumaithangi Trust
38, Narasimha Nagar, First Street,
Kodungaiyur, Chennai - 600118
Mobiles of Magesh and Rajesh: 09840161961, 09840253606
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