TIRUCHY: The characters he portrayed on the silver screen may have been minor, but they pale in comparison to the hero he is in real life. For P Nagarajan, acting is not merely a career, but a means to lift others out of misery.
A polio survivor with a 60% disability, Nagarajan is a familiar face at the Karur District Collectorate. Hailing from Lalapettai, he has dedicated himself to helping citizens draft petitions for justice and welfare assistance. His physical challenges have never deterred his commitment to social causes; indeed, he has been instrumental in resolving civic issues across the district time and again.
Born into a family of agricultural labourers, Nagarajan chose to live independently at the age of 20. Driven by a fierce sense of dignity, he was determined never to be a burden to his family.
That was 22 years ago. And, his journey from then on, through troubled waters, has made the man he is known for now.
Service is in his blood, as even while working in textile companies in Karur for a meagre monthly salary of Rs 6,000, he had been donating notebooks, pens, pencils, and other stationery items to schoolchildren from economically-weaker sections of the society.
Life took a turn for the better when Nagarajan chanced upon the trust in Chennai, supporting orphans and disabled people, run by actor Raghava Lawrence, and decided to move in. Slowly, he started dreaming of a career in acting, not for its glitz and glamour, but to do what he likes the most — helping the needy.
His efforts were successful to some extent. “I got a chance to appear along with comedian Yogi Babu in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chennai Express,” he says, adding he also played minor roles in a couple of movies and television soaps as well, earning Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per day. However, when further opportunities did not come his way, he returned to his hometown and resumed his service-oriented life, dedicating himself entirely to serve the have-nots.
The computer centre, he started at a later point in time using his savings and contributions from well-wishers in his village, was highly popular, for it helped villagers, mostly daily-wage labourers, avail government schemes. He also created a WhatsApp group to spread the word about the free online services he offers.
“When people approach me, I prepare their application and send it to the department concerned free of cost. If they can afford to pay something, I accept it,” he says, adding he has helped hundreds of people, even those from other districts, apply for government schemes, that too, without collecting a single rupee. But helping others came with a cost. The computer centre had to be shut down as he was unable to pay the staff salary.
With his life’s script replete with unforeseen twists, Nagarajan has decided to try his luck in the film industry once again, not because it’s his calling, but for the money it offers.
“If I get an opportunity in movies, I can earn money, and it will help me support more people. I want to continue helping those in need till my last breath. That is my wish,” he signs off.
(Edited by Jayadev Mukundan)