CHENNAI: His father died when he was in Class 2, and five years later, he lost his mother too. He was brought up in an orphanage, and now, at the age of 23, Manikandan has entered the police department, where he aims to climb the ladder.
Manikandan grew up at a home called Nalmanam in Villivakkam. Being from an economically poor background, he was brought to the home when he was 10, a few years after his father, a daily wage labourer, passed away. He was enrolled at a private school, and often visited by his mother.
“One day when Manikandan was in Class 7, his mother visited the home and asked for her son. Since he was in school, she visited him there. She voluntarily washed the clothes of all the children in the home, cleaned the whole building, and helped cook. Later that day, she went home and immolated herself,” said Paribhaskar, who runs the Nalmanam home.
This was the second severe blow for the 12-year-old. “But my mentors and friends at the home were there for me. Paribhaskar soon found me a doctor who funded my education through college,” Manikandan recounted. The youngster was interested in crime thrillers, and wanted to be a policeman since childhood.
He went on to pursue his Bachelors in Criminology, and was given special physical training, Paribhaskar said. “I’ve seen several youngsters who lost their way at a very young age, and am grateful to have been brought up in a home. If not, I don’t know what would have become of me once my parents died,” Manikandan said.
In 2017, six lakh aspirants applied for vacancies in the Armed Reserve Forces, and Manikandan was placed 423 out of the 13,000 candidates who were selected. He is now posted at the Ambattur Industrial Estate police station.