MADURAI: The CISF personnel deployed at Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court celebrated this year's Republic Day by showering love to elderly people at an old-age home 'Rojavanam' in Ulaganeri near the court campus. They donated food, clothing and other essential commodities.
Deputy Commandant TV Rao, who joined the CISF contingent of the Madurai Bench recently, told TNIE that he came up with the plan while passing through the old age home during his early morning walks.
After inquiring with the manager and inmates about their living conditions and the home's funding, Rao, along with Assistant Commandant PS Nagara, mooted the idea of collecting funds to make a donation to the home on the Republic Day. "There was a good response from the jawans towards the cause. Through their generous contribution, we were able to collect around Rs 60,000, which was far beyond our expectations from a contingent of 180 personnel," he added.
Consulting with the old age home's manager, the jawans prepared a list of items that the inmates needed and purchased those items, which included rice, groceries, fruits, clothes, towels, soap and hair oil among others. All this was completed within the span of a week, Nagara said. Besides the essential commodities, the CISF members also provided a new water tank to the home as they came to know that the shelter's water tank was damaged.
Speaking to TNIE, the manager of the old-age home, C Raman, said the donated items would help him manage the shelter without any worries for at least one month. "The shelter has 38 elderly persons, 18 women and 20 men, aged between 50 and 90 years. The care facility is run by Rojavanam Trust, in association with Madurai Corporation, under the NULM scheme. The monthly expenditure of the shelter comes up to nearly Rs 1.5 lakh. We lack funds and are mostly dependent on such donations from kind-hearted people," he added.