In an unusual ruling, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has ordered the accused in the illegal transportation of rivers sand case involving five districts of the state to deposit an amount as an atonement to the credit of the Valluvar Gurukulam Home for Girls located in Tambaram, Chennai.
The court’s ruling is being seen as a rare honour for the Tambaram Girls Home. Besides helping the Hostel with fund, the judgement is a great boost to the morale of those running this unique Home for poor.
Interestingly, Dr Nandni Azad who is on the Boards of several national and international cooperatives, is the Secretary of the Velluvar Gurukulam Girls Home.
Hailing the court’s ruling Dr Nandni Azad President of Working Women’s forum said the home has been doing a commendable job sheltering, educating, feeding and clothing nearly 4000 girls and boys for 43 years.
The children in the Valluvar Gurukulam are absolutely poor, or having low income parentage, children from slums and a few begging children. The children are sent by their relatives to do household work and the girl children are just abandoned and neglected. Some children’s parents are widows and alcoholics who are unable to meet their food and other daily needs, read a press release sent by the ICNW.
The Working Women’s Forum provides children quantifiable assistance, nutritious food, shelter, medical aid, clothing, vocational training (Yoga, Music, Dance, Computer training to improve their knowledge in all aspects) and recreation, said Dr Azad.
“Besides all this ICNW provides several support services to this Home by way of special fees, books, notebooks and uniforms, gifts and dresses for festivals as well as administration”, she underlined.
Children are provided with counselling on a weekly basis based on their problems faced in their life and motivate them. Children mainly girls who once stayed here without hope, sadness, fear of facing the society have now recovered from their past and are following their passions
This home has been running for the past 43 years (from 1976 to till now) for the urban poor children and rural areas nearby who not only get education in the adjacent Government schools but also get provided boarding/lodging facilities. Otherwise these children would have become child labourers or trafficked. Children are provided a better future with good education, welfare services.
It is notable that Indian Cooperative Network for Women presided over by Dr. Nandani Azad partners with the poor girls’ orphanage, Tambaram.
