HYDERABAD: At an age where we are finding innovative ways to stop people from entering our houses, a doctor and social worker in Hyderabad has been running an Open House where anyone can step in and eat, read or relax since 2006.
The initiative, known as Andhari Illu, which roughly translates to everyone’s house, is welcoming of all persons, irrespective of caste, religion or gender. Run by Dr Surya Prakash, 56, the Open House operates from 5.30 am in the morning to 1 am.
Located in Kothapet, anyone, be it a student coming to the city for an exam or a person in need of food or clothing, can avail the facilities for free. Once you enter the premises, you will be flanked by bookshelves on either side. Dr Prakash provides utensils, rice, oil, cooking gas, pulses and vegetables so that people can prepare their own food.
Speaking to Express, Dr Prakash mentions that they started the shelter with the aim that no one should go hungry. “Anybody feeling hungry can come here to eat, read some books and gain knowledge. It gives us immense happiness when the needy leave the place smiling,” he says.
Andhari Illu is open 365 days a year, and it was functioning even during the entirety of the Covid-19 pandemic. It operates from the ground floor of a two-storeyed building while the first floor has a clinic run by Dr Prakash’s wife, who is a gynaecologist. The couple, through the Life Health Group Reinforcement Group, has been carrying out social service.
With Hyderabad developing into a major business city and discussions of building a brand or capitalising on holes in the system, Dr Prakash, who has been in social service for the last 38 years, says, “I never saw the Open House as a business, as my life is dedicated to social service. We don’t even request for funds or donations and carry out the service as per our capabilities.”
Social service is a way of life for doc
For the Hyderabad-born Dr Surya Prakash, social service is a way of life. He has received awards from Manava Seva Dharma Samvardhani, Chennai, and the Indian Social Science Congress. “I never saw the Open House as a business, as my life is dedicated to social service,” he says.