Penned by Board Member Ms. Alo Pal
Rajkala, the founder president of Sharana, and I met and spoke for the first time when we attended a parent-registrar meeting in school. I was a stay-at-home mother then, and Rajkala soon became my bankable security net for any emergency. Gradually, I learnt of her work in Sharana and even joked that I was, in fact, a beneficiary. This was around when I heard of Gerard and the nascent days of Sharana.
Gerard
Motivated by the will to run an organization whose philosophy would be founded on respect, empowerment, and positive outcomes of intervention, Rajkala “borrowed Gerard from, from Partha, her husband’s office, and they scoured the streets and restaurant kitchens of Pondicherry where they spotted children begging, selling menial items or doing dishes of restaurants in exchange of a free meal.
This was 24 years ago, and these were the first days of Sharana, and Gerard has been with Rajkala and the organization since. He had studied from the 5th to the 10th standard at Kodaikanal, which proved to be significant and formative. It inculcated in him a sense of discipline, austerity, and respect. Doubling up with commendable natural flare as a social worker with extensive contact at the ground level, Gerard has established, again and again, that his authentic feedback greatly benefits Sharana’s actions.
One of the first slums Sharana worked in was Solai Nagar, and decades later, Sharana built its Social Centre at Solai Nagar, where Gerard lives. Last March, when little Aarthi, a Sharana beneficiary, was brutally raped and murdered in Solai Nagar, Sharana decided to undertake one of its most challenging projects – to keep delinquent school dropouts off the streets. I realized the scale of the challenge firsthand when I attempted to teach them spoken English. It also lived concretely for the first time the theory that negligence was the worst of child abuse.
In those traumatic days when the entire community was in shock, we all witnessed Gerard in his element. He explained to the community the dangers of having unsafe spaces where drug and alcohol abuse fomented. Relayed the message that Sharana stood more committed than ever to initiate transformational changes- that not only would guarantee greater vigilance for the prevention of crime but also take upon the humongous responsibility to keep the boys, many with petty criminal records already, off the roads, and work on giving them a skill or resume their education to make them responsible, law-abiding, and productive members of society.
Gerard’s keen eye spotted these children the best. He scouted the area and was the most successful in bringing them under Sharana’s care and watch. It must be added that these neglected children do not necessarily recognize this opportunity for a better life as something good. Such is their lack of self-worth- that they are content to do a few days of manual work, make some money, live a few weeks in utter jobless delinquency, and repeat the cycle.
He owes his honed sensibilities, work ethic, motivation, and meaning in life first to Partha, whose trust in him pulled him out of a life of menial jobs and meager income. Later, initiated and groomed by Rajkala right from the inception of Sharana, he found even greater meaning in life. It has been nearly eight years now, and each time he peeps through the door to wish me a quick good morning, I remind myself of just how bright and enthusiastic that happy face is.
