From afar, nothing seems different about the building located on the quiet, tree lined Third Seaward Road, Valmiki Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur. It seems just like any other structure there.
But on closer inspection, you see a board on the building which enlightens you. The bold letters painted on the board say that the building is Cheshire Home, a Home that accommodates people who come from poor backgrounds and are physically or mentally challenged. I took a look around the place and found the children who live there huddled around a well decorated Christmas tree, watching a programme on TV.
The following day I spoke to Mr. Marimuthu, the manager of the Home.
The Cheshire Home was started in New Hampshire, England in 1948 by Captain Leonard Cheshire. Today the Home has over 200 branches all over the world and 23 of them are in India. In Madras, it was started in 1958 in Covelong (Kovalam). It was inaugurated by R. Venkatraman, former president of India. It was then shifted to Valmiki Nagar in 1994. In Tamil Nadu, other branches of the Cheshire Home are located in Madurai and Coimbatore.
Out of the 80 residents in Cheshire Home, 30 are men and the rest are woman and children. The children are sent to local schools by private autos. They are taught painting, music, dance etc and they take part enthusiastically in competitions. There is more than enough space in the Home for the children to run around and have their fun. The children are certainly very happy there. One small boy in particular, Mani, was very lively and pleasant. He gladly posed for my photos with a wide, innocent smiling face and was more than happy to interact with me.
In the Home, the monthly expenses of one person come to Rs. 1000. As for funding, the Cheshire Home gets donations from charitable institutions, the government and individuals. The ¨Adopt a granny scheme¨ is carried out by the Chennai Cheshire Home. It aims to help senior citizens and raises funds for the Home.
In 1997, Queen Elizabeth visited the Cheshire Home in Valmiki nagar and gifted a piece of physiotherapy equipment. This gift helped in forming a physiotherapy center in the Home. The residents and the local community are given daily care by the physiotherapist.
Mr. Marimuthu expressed ¨the only problem is this – we do not have enough space to accomadate all the residents comfortably.¨ As a plan for the future, those running the Home want to set up more branches both in Chennai and all over India too. For this they need a supplementary income.
The public can offer our help to the Home in many ways, such as providing medicines for the Home and teaching the children there. Apart from donations, visiting the home once in a while and spending time with the residents will also be a great help.
The home accepts financial assistance. Cheques payable to ¨Cheshire Home India – Chennai.¨ They are tax deductible.
The Home can be contacted at 24417437 or 24405385. Email : cheshire_ability@rediffmail.com.