COIMBATORE: The ‘wall of kindness’ (anbu suvar) was painted blue. It has bright orange cupboards that hardly remain empty. The phrase “People’s wall” was written in bold type, followed by a Thirukkural couplet and call-to-action phrases spreading awareness on child rights, education, and the environment. An honour system is followed, where people leave clothes, books, and other essential items for anyone in need to take – no questions asked.
The Anbu Suvar — established in Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and Komarapalayam by the ‘Ini Oru Vidhi Seivom’ trust — stands as a physical embodiment of the link connecting the philanthropic and the beneficiaries. Kavitha Jenarthanan, founder and director of the trust, said, “The real reward is the smile on a child’s face or a thank-you from a mother.”
Like the walls of kindness she helped build, the journey of the woman behind the initiative resonates the same generosity, loud and bold. “My parents taught me that helping others should not be an afterthought,” said Kavitha, a Coimbatore native settled in Tiruppur. Despite majoring in economics, Kavitha reshaped her career and identity towards social service, and at 42, she is now a counsellor, a motivational speaker, and an advocate for child and women’s rights.
Deriving from the experiences she had gained from being an Air Wing NCC cadet and later a Rotaract Club member, Kavitha, 12 years ago, founded the group — Feed the Homeless and Hungry — that provided meals to homeless people. In two years, the group distributed over five lakh food packets. As an extension, they installed the first food bank refrigerators in Tiruppur, and amplified their range by reaching out to hospitals and care homes.
In a few years, Kavitha founded the trust, which she named after the verses of Tamil poet Bharathiyar, her idol. Lakhs of people from the district have benefitted from the many initiatives of the trust, including ‘Joy of giving box’ and ‘Healthy protein midday snack’. The organisation installed napkin vending machines and incinerators in over 20 government schools, and distributed grocery kits, with sanitary napkins, to 5,000 families during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A staunch advocate for child and women’s rights, Kavitha, on International Women’s Day in the past three years, became the guardian-in-spirit for three girls — Monisha, Harini, and Mahalakshmi. “I provide for all their basic needs and education,” she said, expressing her hope of supporting more children. Often, she spends out of her pocket to take disabled kids from care homes on shopping trips and outings.
Having a black belt in karate, Kavitha regularly conducts self-defence training classes for government schoolgirls. She said, “Every woman should be brave and face life head-on.” She has delivered motivational speeches at 300 schools and colleges about mental health, child abuse, and Pocso Act. She has also organised the state’s first-ever ramp walk for disabled kids. Moreover, the trust conducted a free eye screening and literacy camp for the inmates of Tiruppur District Jail. “We often forget that prisoners are people too. Rehabilitation begins with respect,” she said. As of now, the organisation is gearing up to host ‘Saree Walkathon’ – a fund-raiser to empower schoolgirls and survivors of acid attacks, scheduled for July 7 in Tiruppur.
Pointing out that not changing herself to fit others’ expectations has been a significant impediment in her journey, Kavitha said, “Be yourself, loud enough for the world to notice,” with honesty, reflecting the verses of poet Bharathiyar in his work ‘Pudhumai Penn’ (Modern Woman).
(Edited by Thamizhamudhan Sekar)