Efforts to make B'luru a beggar-free city: Auto Raja

Chandra Prabhu | NT

Bengaluru: When on the street, a person is deprived of every single component that a home provides.

The city has thousands of destitutes and homeless people, but a few to help them. Thomas Raja, colloquially known as 'Auto Raja,' is one of them.

Speaking to News Trail, Raja elucidated his journey, which he terms "God's plan."

"I got into small-time crime, after dropping out of school. I stole my mother's mangalsutra and silk sarees, and sold them off for alcohol and other pleasantries," he said.

Soon, Raja’s life took a turn for good when he witnessed several homeless persons including children sleeping on the footpath at night.

"That was when I decided to give up crime," he said. He took up an initiative, naming it as "New Ark Mission" and decided to ride an auto rickshaw.

"People didn't have anything to eat or had a place to even excrete. They were left alone to die!," he recalled.

Without financial backing, Raja started off by helping them, and with every right step, has grown into a saviour for the destitutes. Most of them, according to Raja, were battling depression or traumatic events.

"People with Schizophrenia are brought here. To contain them, we have doctors and psychiatrists in place," he said.

Raja, who has spent 25 years helping the homeless, said that his cause is run on donations from different communities in the city. When asked about the government support, Raja admitted that he received little to no backing from the government.

"In fact, it’s the other way. Emergency services and the police drop the abandoned here. Although currently we don’t have their backing, I would welcome their help if they are willing to in the future," he added.

Involving in acts of service for the abandoned people will do good in improving the city. When asked about the future of his work, Raja just wants to continue the efforts to make Bengaluru a "beggar free" city.

"I would like young people to take initiative and help the needy. We shouldn’t wait for one to become a Mother Teresa or a Mahatma Gandhi," he said.

Although Raja gets fulfilled in helping the homeless, he admits the stressful process behind it.

“It is easy for one to construct a place of worship. It is not the same with an Ashram for the homeless. A lot of things need to be looked up, as people here are vulnerable to abnormalities," he remarked.

Rescuing over 25,000 people in 25 years, Raja was proud that around 8000 transformed for the better. Nearly 9,000 of them have breathed their last here. "I try to give them a dignified death," he concluded.