Matrudevobhava Anadha Ashram dedicated to serving the needy
Founder of Matrudevobhava Anadha Ashram, Gattu Giri, provides food and shelter to the mentally challenged
Hyderabad: “Hard things are put in our way, not to stop us, but to bring out our courage and strength.” This is what the founder of Matrudevobhava Anadha Ashram, Gattu Giri, said.
Giri, who runs a brick business in Nadergul, understood this from his own experience.
“I had a cousin who was a mentally challenged person and many in our village used to beat him and complain about him to our family. Having a mentally retarded person at home had become a social stigma. One day, he just ran away. We searched for him but could not find him. One day, we came to know through a villager who visited Osmania Hospital that they saw him near a garbage dump, eating food thrown away by someone. We came to Hyderabad and took him back home, but he passed away a few days later,” he recalled.
That’s when Giri decided to start a home for mentally challenged people, but due to his financial status, it took some time to take off but finally got it going in 2017.
Hailing from Samsthan Narayanpur, Yadadri district, Giri rescued his first inmate Shankar in the same area where his brother was found, and till date he is still residing in the ashram. When asked how they track a particular mentally challenged person, Giri explained: “We know that every locality has a police station, whenever the police come across such mentally challenge people, they inform us and give a letter to us saying that this person doesn’t have anybody and that we need to take care of him. We along with our volunteer staff go to that area and bring them, give them a haircut, shave and then give them new clothes etc. and then we take them to the Erragadda mental hospital. If they are able to tell us their address, we hand them over to their family. If they can’t, we keep them in our ashram.”
Giri has helped the government and the police when more than 3,500 beggars, mentally challenged orphans were shifted to the Anand Ashram in Cherlapally and Chanchalguda prisons, three years back. “Later, when they had an issue with funds, we brought 30 of the orphans to our home and they are staying here,” said Giri, who expects support from the government and the public to run the home.
As of now, Matrudevobhava Anadha Ashram admits only males. “At present, I am running this ashram in 600 square yards, when it comes to maintaining a women’s centre, they need to have a separate space, so, I decided to take only male inmates until I get a proper, secured shelter for women,” he explained.
Giri (9347513830), who has received many awards for his phenomenal philanthropic work is thankful for his wife, children and parents who are helping him run the ashram.
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