Compassion for those who have been abandoned, especially the elderly and children, is what makes P. Mahendiran of Coimbatore stand out among others. This 45-year-old man takes parents deserted by their children; people who have got lost from their dear ones; and even children who require palliative care under his wing and not let them rot on the streets to beg and die.

To do this humanitarian task he founded Eera Nenjam – an NGO and an old-age home which now houses several inmates.

Sharing on how he was inspired to start this NGO, he said: “Once my mother and my elder sister, Amutha were travelling in an autorickshaw when the latter experienced a seizure, and she fell into a ditch from the moving three-wheeler. The driver applied brakes immediately and went to rescue Amutha. Afterwards, he dropped both of them. That was a humanitarian gesture that I’ll never forget.”

From then on, Mahendran has over the last 10 years rescued more than 1,000 people including pregnant women and those suffering from mental illness. All of them found a safe refuge in the shelter home owned by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation at RS Puram. At present there are 70 people in the home.

Going beyond this, he gets those requiring medical care, admitted in the hospitals and spends time with inmates to know and understand their worries, putting them at ease. He has managed to reunite 400 people with their family so far.

“I am proud that I have been able to take care of 70 people — mostly elderly women — at the old-age home. It is possible only because of the support of my team,” he told the media.