Life Story Hari Krishnan
ADDING NEW DIMENSIONS TO SELFLESS SOCIAL SERVICE,
STORY OF A CHENNAI YOUTH Selfless service of a few individuals is a ray of hope for humanity during these pandemic days. Apart from the noble services of doctors, nurses and health care workers, a set of social workers and volunteers in different parts of the country helps to restore the faith in the humanity in this critical times. This is the story of 27 year old Hari Krishnan from Chennai who had been doing and still doing a remarkable job, volunteering to serve the migrant labourers and other destitute in the city of Chennai in India.
A
ll social workers are not born rich. A few are rich with a heart full of kindness to poor. Hari Krishnan belongs to that category. He hails from a middle class family. His father was a daily wager and Hari Krishnan and his sister did their studies mostly in government institutions. “Till Grade 12, my tuition fee per year was Rs.50 in that institute. But sometimes even to make it, we had to struggle. If you fail to pay the fee within the prescribed time, they wouldn’t allow you to sit in the class. Every year, it was ‘customary’ for me to attend the class from outside for a month or so. Yet that helped me to know the value of money. I started to work from Grade 5 onwards to make both ends meet. Also, I didn’t want to disturb my parents in their struggle to run the house. My first job was delivery of newspapers in the early morning. The monthly pay of Rs.150 helped me to buy other things like books, pencil or pen,” he recalls. In 2009, he finished his Grade 12 and it was the same time his father lost his job after the shop he worked had to close down. His mother who had certain health issues couldn’t go outside for a job. So, Hari had to take a break from his studies to run the family. He took up a marketing job with an insurance company. His salary was Rs.4500, provided he achieved the target. Out of this income he had to take care of his family and save enough to continue his studies from next year onwards. Aneesh K.K.
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TECHAGAPPE
OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2020
The struggle for survival After one year when things at home become a bit more stable, Hari went back
