Mangaluru’s 3 decades old Beggars’ Rehabilitation Centre has plenty of life transformation stories to tell

Chetana Nayak K
March 15, 2019

A host of home-grown vegetables welcome the visitors at Beggars’ Rehabilitation Centre (BRC) at Pachanady in Vamanjoor on the outskirts of the coastal city of Mangaluru. Once barren land with laterite rocks, today the 2-acre land boasts of its lush-green vegetation across its one-acre landscape. Brinjal, Coriander, Drumstick, Green chilli, Pumpkin, Spinach, Mint leaves, Jackfruit, Mango; are among the several vegetables that the inmates have raised with their labour.

"Although, it was initially a challenge to motivate them, now most of them, either through self motivation or inspired by others have taken to cultivation on their own. They tend to the crops as their own and use it for self-consumption," Ashok, in-charge of BRC said.

Besides vegetation, the Centre ensures that inmates do not spend their time idling. Beyond the normal rest or sleeping hours, the inmates are involved in pre-seeding work, tilling the soil, watering the soil beds, preparing organic manure, timely harvesting and gardening.

While some of the woman inmates engage in agriculture, they also involve in envelope making, crafts, early morning walks, exercise or at least their routine chores such as washing their own clothes.

Well educated, hailing from an affluent family, with two brothers employed in reputed banks, Anupama* (28) had everything she had asked for. But in an unfortunate turn of events, the sudden demise of her parents few years ago, Anupama found herself roaming around the streets of Pandeshwar in Mangaluru.

Beyond recognition, begging for food with pedestrians, she would sleep on the streets and roam about aimlessly. Reported by the local residents in 2014, Anupama’s plight caught attention of the jurisdictional Pandeshwar police, who shifted her to BRC.

In a span of one year, Anupama, who formerly found solace in anonymity and in begging alms, today has become a tailor. She came out of the BRC and eked out her living through tailoring. Anupama also slapped legal cases against her brothers who had allegedly cheated her of property. “She currently owns a property in Karkala, with bank deposits bequeathed in her name by her mother,” her case officer adds.

Another, Ramesh*, an electronics and electrical engineer from Chennai addicted to drinking and drug abuse had abandoned his family. He was brought to BRC that kicked-out his alcohol habit. Now working in an MNC, Ramesh is back on top of his game and works for a multinational company in Chennai.

BRC that began in 1991 under Karnataka Social Welfare Department today has grown to be one of the most trusted of the 14 Centre’s in the state.

Upon the identification of an individual as a destitute or a beggar, Mangaluru City Commissioner (MCC), Taluk court, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Taluk Panchayat, District level officer(s), and jurisdictional Police Sub-Inspector are empowered to detain and surrender destitute/beggars at the Centre.

In-charge of BRC, Ashok says that the Centre’s team and staff guard travel around their respective districts and identify the beggars and bring them to the court within 24 hours. As per the current provisions, they can house a beggar for one-year. During which, through a series of vocational and counseling sessions, it can encourage a destitute to quit begging and live independently. “Once the Centre is reassured of their skills, the Centre informs their family members and requests to take them back. In the absence of the family, the member is referred to a government aided Centre.” Ashok said.

Over the year, BRC has aggregated destitute from different parts of the country in its Mangaluru Centre. "Since, Mangalore Central Railway Station is the last station in the region, majority of them de-board the train here and venture into the city. Most of our inmates are from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh," a BRC official says.

A team of psychiatrists, doctors, skin specialists, who visit once in 15-days, have the mandate to ensure that the inmates are hale and healthy. Over the years, for about 137 destitute in Dakshina Kannada, BRC has become a haven for transformation; Owing to alcohol, substance abuse, financial stress and family issues, these inmates who had once resorted to begging today claim of confidence to thrive with their abilities.

Comments

Ann Pinto
 - 
Thursday, 9 May 2019

Thanks to coastal digest for publishing such articles and showing the positive change brought about by BRC so that these people can live a dignified life with the skills they they are taught..

SD
 - 
Tuesday, 26 Mar 2019

Wow! Impressed May God bless all involved in making the beggers life easy.The general principle of alleviating poverty by facilitating self-sufficiency has a long history

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
coastaldigest.com news network
August 3,2020

Manjeshwar, Aug 3: In a horrific incident, a man hacked four of his relatives to death at Bayar near Kaniala Gurukumeri in Manjeshwar taluk of Kasaragod district.

According to police, Udaya (40), a resident of Sudanbala, killed three of his maternal uncles and a maternal aunt who were staying together at a house at around 7:30 p.m. today. 

The deceased have been identified as Sadashiv (54), Vittal (52), Babu (50), and maternal Revati (58).

Locals caught him and handed him over to the police after tying his hands and legs. 

A preliminary investigation revealed that a familial clash led to the gruesome murder. A police team led by Kasargod DSP Balakrishnan are investigating the matter.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
February 28,2020

The Karnataka BJP, which faced action on Twitter earlier this month over incendiary tweets, this time has passed the blame of Sangh Parivar sponsored Delhi violence to the victims.

In an insensitive tweet on Friday, it dubbed the protests against the notorious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as "fake" and added that the violence that followed was "the most well-planned assault on the Idea of India," in an apparent attempt to portray the victims as villains.

The handle, notorious for tweets targeting Muslims, blamed the clashes that erupted in Delhi between people demonstrating for and against the CAA on "so called 'Peacefuls'" - a known right-wing slur for Muslims.

Many people on social media called out the tweet for misleading people and covering up the role of Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra's provocative speech for triggering the violence or the failure of the Delhi Police, which reports to the former BJP chief and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in controlling the riots.

Earlier this month, the Karnataka BJP had tweeted a video of Muslim women standing in queue to vote in the Delhi elections, showing their voter ID cards, with the snarky caption: "Keep the documents safe, you will need to show them again during NPR (National Population Register) exercise."

Soon after, the party unit's Twitter handle was blocked by the social media platform for 24 hours after many accused it of encouraging Islamophobia.

NPR has been widely criticised by opposition parties as a precursor to the government's planned NRC or National Register of Citizens which intends to make Indians prove their citizenship with documents that many poor or illiterate do not possess.

Many fear that combined with the already imposed CAA - which promises citizenship to only non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh - the NRC can be used to make millions of Muslims stateless.

The government has denied the allegation and said the CAA only intends to help those who have faced religious persecution. In recent weeks, it has gone back on its rhetoric on the NRC which was announced by Amit Shah in parliament as "it will certainly happen".

The CAA, which was cleared by parliament in December, has triggered deadly protests in the country which left at least 25 dead till Sunday. Since then, at least 42 more people have been killed as large-scale violence erupted in northeast Delhi and hundreds of homes and shops have been burned to the ground.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
July 24,2020

Mandya, Jul 24: Pressing for a total ban on stone mining and quarrying in and around the villages surrounding Krishna Raja Sagar Dam in the District, many organisations have called for Mandya bandh on July 29.

The bandh has been supported by Raitha Sangha, Karunada Sevakara Sanghatane, Auto Drivers Association, Jaya Karnataka, Bharatiya Samvidhana Hitharakshana Vedike, Sugarcane Growers Association, Vokkaligara Seva Trust and Dalita Sangarsh Samiti (Krishnappa faction).

The activists said that the State Government must immediately take steps and permanently ban mining in 20 km radius around KRS as continuous blasting for stones is causing grave danger to the structure.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.