VIJAYANAGAR:Service to humanity is the highest form of worship, a teacher told his students. One boy took him seriously. When he grew up and became an employee of a private sector undertaking, he spread that message among his colleagues.
The colleagues got together and started collecting small donations to help poor mothers at Vani Vilas Hospital buy medicines and tonics for their children.
Soon an NGO called Aid The Ailing Association was founded. It extended its activities to Bowring Hospital, KC General Hospital and Sri Krishna Seva Trust Hospital.
S N Venugopal (69) is the moving spirit behind the NGO. He retired as Deputy Manager at the Indian Telephone Industries in Bengaluru, and is now President of Cordial Education Committee.
Aid the Ailing Association was registered in 1974 and a committee with about 20 members began to manage its activities.
While its work at the hospitals continued, it identified the need to educate poor children. It started distributing books, pens, pencils, and bags at Sunderiambal School on Old Madras Road. Later, it extended this service to another school at Varadapura village near Hoskote.
The children got uniforms, besides plates and glasses for their mid-day meals, and this convinced many dropouts to return to school. The association now covers 10 schools in and around Bengaluru.
One school, 15 km from Mulbagal town in Kolar district, has 160 children who walk up and down a rough path. The NGO donated shoes and socks to them.
Recently, Aid the Ailing Association adopted 35 school children at Honnali taluk in Shivamogga district. Children helped by the NGO have gone on to become engineers, doctors, and fashion designers.
The NGO also conducts medical camps in villages and slums, and nurses poor children suffering from chronic ailments back to health. It has provided artificial limbs at Sidlaghatta and collected clothes for orphanages.
The energetic Venugopal is also a trustee at Vijayanagar Sangeetha Sabha, a promoter at Saptharushi Credit Co-operative Society, and an executive trustee at Sharada Vidyanikethan, Amruthuru. He was recently honoured with the Kempegowda Award conferred by the BBMP.
Venugopal invites young people to join the cause. “Most of our volunteers have been at it for more than 35 years, and are now senior citizens. We call upon others to join us in making our vision come true,” he said.