Medak: Having a roof over their heads was a life-long dream for this old couple — Chandraiah and Lakshmi — in Chandapur village in Medak district. What they used to earn was barely sufficient to make both ends meet. Somehow, they managed to save some money, sold the silver ornaments and pooled enough money to have a house with asbestos sheets by spending over Rs 50,000 on a 100-yard plot. Their dream was fulfilled but fate willed otherwise. As rains lashed the district incessantly, the house collapsed on August 16.
Chandraiah had fractured his leg and all their belongings were damaged making their lives more miserable. The incident made the couple live under a tree as none in the village was willing to offer a shelter in the times of Covid-19. Future was indeed bleak for the old couple who saved money for the last four decades to build a house. But there was a ray of hope for them.
Arikipudi Raghu, a BDL employee who read about the predicament of Chandraiah, went to the village along with his friends on August 18 and donated new clothes and some essential commodities to the elderly man’s family.
That’s not all. Raghu and his friends pooled money and decided to get a pucca house constructed for Chandraiah. They collected about Rs 4 lakh for taking up the construction and meanwhile, with the help of a TRS leader, Krishna Goud, convinced a family in the same village to offer shelter to the old couple and their daughter temporarily.
Raghu said he had spoken to philanthropists and pooled small amounts from them. He and his friends managed to complete the slab work by Wednesday night. Raghu plans to hand over the house after completing the remaining work this month.
Chandraiah told ‘Telangana Today’ that he had never even dreamt of owning a pucca house. His wife Lakshmi narrated their plight saying that they were at sea as the house collapsed just six weeks after it was built by selling her silver anklets. “My parents had given them for my marriage some four decades ago,” Lakshmi recalled.
Realising the importance of silver anklets in her life, Raghu and his friends have decided to gift Lakshmi a pair of silver anklets to her very soon.
“We have no words to thank Raghu and his friends because they have helped me and my family to lead a decent life by gifting the house,” Lakshmi said with folded hands.
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