SALEM: “Pasipiniye Perumpini; Adhai Theerppadhe Mudhal Pani” — hunger is the greatest disease, and relieving it is the foremost duty of humankind
Though it’s been more than a century since Arutprakasa Vallalar lit the ‘Anaiya Aduppu’ to ensure that no one goes hungry, the idea continues to find meaning across generations even now. In the summer of 2020, during one of the most uncertain periods of the pandemic, the Tamil saint’s very saying found an echo in the life of a young man from Sangagiri.
Every morning, V Sathya Prakash would report for work at a grocery shop in his hometown. The country had come to a standstill. Hotels were closed, buses had disappeared from the roads and people were confined to their homes. But for those living on the streets, there was no home to return to.
Outside the grocery shop, Sathya Prakash noticed that around 10 to 15 people gathered every day. They were not there to buy groceries. They were waiting, hoping that someone might give them something to eat. “It was difficult to watch,” he recalls. The sight affected him deeply because it took him back to his own childhood.
Born into a modest family in Sangagiri, he grew up understanding what it meant to live with limited means. His father worked as a weaver, while his mother was a homemaker.
After graduating, Sathya Prakash spent some time searching for a job, a period he remembers as difficult. He eventually found employment outside Sangagiri, but the lockdown brought him back home. Unwilling to sit idle without work, he took up a job at a local grocery store.
Those years had already taught him the meaning of hunger. “There were days when I didn’t have enough money for food. I felt that people around me should not have to experience that,” he says.
The thought pushed him to act. Sathya Prakash approached the owner of the grocery shop and asked if they could prepare meals for at least a few people. The owner agreed. In May 2020, they arranged food for around 20 people. They planned to prepare meals once a week, using whatever little they could afford.
But when Sathya Prakash went out to distribute the food packets, he discovered that the need was much greater than he had imagined. The following week, they made more food. Then a little more.
What began as 20 meals became 30, then 40, and eventually around 50 meals every week. Through the months of the lockdown, they continued the effort, doing whatever they could with the resources available to them.
Slowly, grocery shop owners started contributing rice, vegetables and other essentials. Some gave ingredients without accepting payment. His family and relatives joined the effort, preparing meals at home, while his friends helped with packing and distribution.
By the end of 2020, the group was preparing food every day. At the peak of the lockdown, they were reaching nearly 400 people. That small act of kindness grew into an initiative called ‘Amudha Sudar’. The group continued feeding around 50 people in Sangagiri even after restrictions were lifted. “We would feed them and leave. Then I started thinking about where they would sleep and who would look after them,” he says.
That question changed the direction of Amudha Sudar. Today, Sathya Prakash and his volunteers rescue destitute people, provide them with food and care, and help them find shelter. They also take them for grooming and provide clothes during festivals.
With public support and contributions from Sathya Prakash, a shelter for destitute people is now being built on the outskirts of Sangagiri.
As Amudha Sudar grew, its purpose expanded beyond hunger. Education became another important part of the organisation’s work. Graduates conduct free tuition classes and provide notebooks, exam kits and other educational support, particularly to students who were facing financial difficulties.
The group also provides guidance for higher education. Every Sunday, a local private college opens its classrooms for free TNPSC coaching classes conducted by Amudha Sudar. Around 400 aspirants have attended the programme, and several have gone on to clear government examinations.
The organisation’s third pillar is environmental conservation. Its volunteers have created micro forests, restored six waterbodies and carried out tree plantation drives across the region. Their efforts were recognised with the Green Champion Award from the Salem district administration in both 2024 and 2025.
Today, Amudha Sudar has around 25 active volunteers. Sathya Prakash, meanwhile, has a job at a private firm. But much of his free time continues to be devoted to coordinating the organisation’s activities.
What began outside a small grocery shop during the uncertainty of a lockdown has since grown into something much bigger — feeding those who are hungry, finding care for those without a home, opening doors to education and giving back to the environment.
(Edited by Subhalaksmi PR)