A crusader for rehabilitation of destitute people from Erode

All that these people yearn for is a human conversation. For someone to sit down and talk to them about their day or even utter a few words of kindness. When our volunteers talk to them, their faces just light up. They feel validated and respected,” says Naveen Kumar, full-time professor and founder of Atchayam Trust, a rehabilitation and skill development centre for the destitute in Komarapalyam.

Atchayam Trust volunteers with rescuees

Speaking to DT Next about his journey in philanthropy, he says, “I was waiting for the bus to college at the bus stand. An old lady approached me and told me that she didn’t have money to go to her village and asked for some money. I gave her the only money I had; my dinner money which was Rs 10. The fact that I helped someone got me through the day. That night I slept empty stomach with a content heart.”

After that incident, he understood that no one was there to care for them. In another incident, he followed a man around begging for alms for 40 days before approaching him.

“His name was Rajasekhar. He was healthy but was very shabbily dressed. I asked him why was he begging instead of finding a job. He told me that seeing his clothes no one was ready to employ him. I decided to help him out and got him a job as a watchman in Komarapalyam itself. That’s how it began,” he says.

Naveen Kumar

Naveen reached out to his mates in college, who volunteered and decided to contribute to the cause. The students began approaching homeless and destitute people with illnesses and diseases. After preliminary care, they were sent to other homes and institutions. While still in college third year, pursuing his BE, he established his NGO, Atchayam Trust in 2013.

“Our number of volunteers slowly grew and we began assigning roles to people who came in. We noticed that homeless people would stay in the homes for some time and go back to the streets. To understand the reason, we conducted extensive research for three years. With it, we decided to categorise the conditions of the people who come in and treat them accordingly. We provided professional help, from psychologists and psychiatrists, for people with conditions like bipolar disorders and mania,” he remarks.

He says that their approach gave fruitful results and people were happy and coexisted with each other really well. So much so that they volunteered and brought in other people from the streets to the home for a better life.

While still continuing his philanthropic work and pursuing his ME, he became a professor. In 2018, he won the National Youth Award by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Govt. of India and the Chief Minster’s State Youth Award in 2019, among other awards. Having helped and transformed the lives of over 10,000 destitute people, the organisation is focusing on inculcating skills and making them employable.

“Our rescue teams are spread across 18 districts in Tamil Nadu. Our goal now is to collect funds to build our home with better facilities and accommodation. Being able to achieve this has consumed us,” Naveen says.