A HOME WHERE LIVES ARE REBUILT

With a vision to mitigate the struggles of orphans, India's first 'Oxygen Woman' runs a home to give an identity to people living on the margins

- Mohamed Salahudeen @Chennai

THE wind picks up dust, stirring it into the air as grey clouds hang low, as if carrying the weight of untold stories. Suddenly, the quiet is pierced by the sound of pounding feet 15 boys, school bags flapping wildly, dash down a narrow lane, their laughter rising like a challenge to the gloom. Books jostle inside, worn soles slap against the wet road, and youthful energy crackles in the air. From behind a rusted iron gate on Kattabom man 6th Street in Kodungaiyur, a voice calls out, half stern, half loving: "Don't bunk classes!" The boys live in Magizhvagam, a children's home established by the Street Vision Social and Charitable Trust, founded by R Seetha Devi. Standing behind the gate as she sends off the boys, Devi says, "These kids were orphans, rescued from the streets, kids whose parents are in prison, or belonging to parents suffering from communicable diseases." Believing education is the ultimate solution for societal betterment, Devi runs a children's home, ensuring they receive proper education and care. "My idea is to make them self-sustainable through education, so that they can establish a future for themselves," says Devi, remembering how education transformed her life from a street dweller to someone who serves the underprivileged.