ERODE: “Money, or the lack of it, does not stop me from doing social service,” says S Janagi, president of Elanjie, an NGO based out of Erode.
The 40-year-old mother of two runs a tailoring shop in the city to make ends meet. But, she is best known for her social service that has won her appreciation from various fronts, including Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
Married at the age of 16, Janagi’s education did not extend beyond class V. Having had two daughters within two years of her marriage, she had to become economically independent due to a few problems.
“Now, my elder daughter is studying MSc while the younger one is pursuing BA,” she said with a smile.
Speaking about how she formed the NGO, Janagi said, “I was actively involved in the jallikattu protests and when I sought permission from then Superintendent of Police Sivakumar to celebrate our victory, he suggested that I form a team and work towards addressing social issues. It was after that NGO Elanjie was formed with 20 like-minded people.”
Former corporation commissioner Seeni Ajmal Khan suggested her team get involved in keeping the Erode Central Bus Stand clean under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
This was to motivate shopkeepers and passengers from littering there, she said. “Now shopkeepers also refrain from using the platforms to display their goods at the bus stand,” Janagi added. Due to the success of the campaign, Governor Banwarilal Purohit visited the bus stand on August 25, 2018, to supervise the Swachh Bharat work and duly appreciated Janagi.
The social worker has also helped sanitary workers get periodical medical check up, high visibility jackets, face masks, etc, every year. Various campaigns “We have raised awareness about not using plastic and last year, we conducted a month-long campaign urging motorists to wear helmet and seat belt,” Janagi said.
The NGO has also maintained the short-stay home of the Erode corporation for the homeless. Janagi is now invited to provide motivational speeches to students, especially girls, on how to attain success in life.
Last year, she spoke at the Girls Higher Secondary School in K N Palayam.
Flights with All-woman crew from Chennai
To mark the Women’s Day, Air India operated all woman-crew flights — two in the domestic sector and one in international sector — with around 500 passengers on Sunday. The two domestic flights AI-440 and AI-539 were in Chennai-Delhi and Coimbatore-Chennai sectors. The international flight AI-905 was to Dubai. ENS