He spends weekends at rehabilitation home ~ Indian Express

WITH Manority of the people planning for an outing during weekends, this turner-turned-entrepreneur spares a full-day serving the mentally-ill, differently-abled and elderly people at a rehabilitation home.

Meet P Mahendiran, who has been regularly visiting Sri Anbalayam  Rehabilitation Home at vadavalli near here every Sunday to serve the inmates mostly mentally-challenged persons. This, he said, has been doing for many years.

        Narrating an interesting incident, he said he came across a mentally-ill person Asokan, who climbed a tree-top. However, the Fire and Rescue Services department personnel brought him down and admitted to government hospital for treatment.

        “After he was shifted to Anbalayam Rehabilitation Home, I used to interact with him during my visits to the home. I came to know that he was wandering on the roads due to his mental illness. Luckily, I got a few details about his native place,” he said and added that he sought the help of his friends in Mannargudi (Tiruvarur district) and zeroed in Asokan’s brothers.

He was shocked to infer that Asokan’s brothers were trying to get death certificate for him since they couldn’t locate his whereabouts for the past 15 years. However, they were surprised to hear that their brother was still alive in Coimbatore.

        Mahendiran, who was assoicated with EERAM (Equality Empowernment Rights Awareness Movement), an NGO run by Raj Rajkumar (now deceased) arranged for the reunion of Asokan with his brohters. Eyes welled with tears, when the brothers left for Mannargudi along with Asokan.

Meanwhile, Mahendiran who visited Mannargudi recently to see Asokan and his brothers learnt that arrangements were being made for marriage of Asokan, who has sicne, crossed 40.

Not just his, Mahendiran, who met Manikandan of Tirunelveli in Coimbatore with his left limb severely affected by elephantiasis was seeking help for treatment. The youth mobilised money through some philanthropists to get his limb amputated.

And Mahendiran arranged for an artificial limb through Randeer of Sadhanai Charitable Trust here on Sunday. Manikandan, a tailoring teacher, said he would continue with his daily chores and expressed his gratitude to Mahendiran.

Recently, Mahendriran approached the management of Central Theatre expressing his desire to allow intimates of Anbalayam Rehabilitation Home to witness Rajnikant-starrer Endhiran. And the theatre owners gave free tickets to 30 inmates. Besides being a regular blood donor, Mahendiran had organised a free health check at PSG Hospitals for 300 children from Anbalayam Home.