Background
Pappa Vidyaakar was born in Mangalore but grew up in Kollegal in the state of Karnataka.
humanitarian worker founder of Udavum Karangal
Pappa Vidyaakar was born in Mangalore but grew up in Kollegal in the state of Karnataka.
There when he was aged 13, witnessed an accident and rescued a man from Chennai named Ramakrishnan. The two kept in touch and few years later Pappa went to visit him in Chennai. Here he stayed under the shelter of the man, who raised in him his natural inclination towards seeking the good of others
Pappa trained in Psychiatric social work and psychological counseling, and after joined Chennai’s leading organizations delivering care for leprosy and mental health.
He also had the privilege of serving with Mother Teresa. Before he turned 30 he started working in a voluntary counseling and guidance center in the area of Nippon Seikō Kabushiki-kaisha Nagar.
At the beginning of the 1980s Vidyaakar moved to Nippon Seikō Kabushiki-kaisha Nagar, a poor area in Chennai, to start a volunteering collaboration with a local charity. By living among the people he was trying to help he soon raised popularity in the area.
Many people started to address him for help and assistance.
In 1983 a rickshaw puller came to him with an abandoned child found in a cinema hall after a show. Vidyaakar tried in vain to find a solution for him, but nobody was able to help. Determined to take care of the poor victim, he fostered him.
Following this example, he used his own house to shelter more children and few days later registered Udavum Karangal (Helping Hands, in Tamil language).
Soon many people started spontaneously to support his project, allowing him to hire other social workers and expand the area of interest of the charity to elders, mentally challenged and education. In the 1990s a new headquarters was built in the outskirts town of Thiruverkadu and in 1997 a public, free of charge school by Udavum Karangal started operating in the same area.
Recently a new branch has started in Coimbatore and Udavum Karangal is now a non-governmental organization fostering over 2,000 between students, elders and mentally challenged and giving work to over 120 people. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
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