With a humble background, which involved long walks to school and struggle to get a foothold in an attempt to earn a living on his own, Surendra Kumar Paruchuri has nurtured his passion for rural uplift, especially education of children and animal protection. Having tasted success as a result of sheer hard work in the travel business and commodity sales, today S K Paruchuri is the managing trustee of Paruchuri Global Foundation. In a conversation with Vyas Sivanand, he speaks about his passion for animals and his pursuit towards providing better education to rural children.
■ Tell us about the main aim of Paruchuri Global Foundation.
Through the trust, my main aim is to provide and protect helpless animals and provide them food, medical aid and shelter. Apart from providing and maintaining gaushalas, the trust also helps in providing required aid to the government veterinary hospitals.
My passion is for stray dogs. We identify stray dogs which require treatment and take care of them at our Devanahalli animal shelter, where we have a retired veterinary doctor. In case of emergencies, we take help from the government veterinary hospital or Compassion Unlimited Plus Action, an organisation for the welfare of animals. We have also contributed towards computers and laboratory equipment to the veterinary hospital, Hebbal.
We also help establish, equip and maintain or contribute towards up keep of colleges, schools, libraries, free reading rooms, gymnasiums, swimming pools, hospitals, dispensaries, medical clinics including clinics for tuberculosis patients, nursing homes, maternity homes, orphanages, homes for widows, destitute or other unattached women, vikas grahas and charitable institution for the relief of poor, education, medical relief and advancement of other objects of general public utility not involving the carrying on of any activity of profit. We are always open for donation, education and medical air to those who need it.
■ In terms of education, what have been your main initiatives?
We have adopted five schools in Hosur, where we provide free education, text books, uniforms and scholarships. We have sponsored higher education for physically handicapped children. Any merit student who is in need of help for education will find help from us.
We have mandated that awarding scholarships and fellowships in cash or in other forms for the purpose of undertaking, prosecuting and encouraging studies is carried out provided that such scholarships and fellowships shall be awarded to poor or deserving students and scholars.
We want to undertake propaganda training and education of the masses of its own accord or through agencies working for similar such causes.
■ Other than education and animal welfare, do you focus on other areas where deserving people are helped through your trust?
We are setting up orphanages or poor houses for the benefits of orphans and poor persons and awarding of scholarships and cash payment to the deserving.
We want to establish centers for the employment generation and rehabilitating economically handicapped people and destitute by providing them suitable employment.
Environment is also on our radar and we want to provide forums to promote awareness on environment and better community living while beautifying our living and surrounding areas by planting trees, disposing garbage hygienically, developing gardens thereby living a healthy and aesthetic life.
We also focus on promoting Indian sports and provide facilities in urban and rural areas. Through the trust, we intend to promote education, medical aid and shelter to the destitute children and to provide mid-day meals to the needy children, studying in government schools and rural schools.
We also grant aid or render assistance to other public charitable trusts or institutions and individuals and promote rural industry.
We intend to promote, establish, support, maintain or grant aid to institutions for the promotion of science, literature, music drama, and fine arts, for the preservation of historical monuments and for the research and other institution in India having similar objects for the benefit of the public in general.
■ What are your future plans with regard to expansion of your activities through the trust?
We are planning to start a stray dog adoption campaign. We are also planning to start a school for the physically handicapped at Devanahalli, where education will be provided for free.
We are in the process of helping in construction of a Kannada High School near Mangalore.