One wonderous story.
Today i went with my daughter to the homeless handicapped lady whose story I wrote a week ago asking for advice. The story seems to have floated around. Today a new friend, Archanaa Seker called, and said she had been associated with Banyan also, and had just gone to see her. I also went. The picture that emerged was wonderous.
She has been living on the busstop among plastic tins and covers for five years now. She speaks fluent English - and my heart stops when I wonder what her story could be. But she does not want to talk of her past, and I also think I do not want to know.
She refused to move away from there, as that was 'home'. And in the time before I went Archana said she met her thousand friends. All the school kids who passed by were her friends. As she cannot move her hands and legs, the children would rummage among the dirty plastic and give her whatever she wanted. The parents were all her friends, and would stop by with food got her. A tea girl gave her tea, and said she would take money later. The watchman got her a straw as she cannot hold the glass, and held it for her while she sucked it.
Another homeless man has moved to stay there, and with complete care bandages her wounds, and gets her what she needs. He also cleans up when she attends to nature's calls.
When Archana asked her what she felt was needed, she said that she needed a couple of clothes as it was cold at night. And some medical care. But she would not move from there as it was home. When Archana said that maybe she could be taken to a hospital, she asked some kids to pull out and open her address book, and asked Archana to first call her 'legal adviser'. Archana call up that number, and in some time a lawyer came.
The lawyer told me that he worked in the high court. And when he heard of such people, he did what he could to help. He said he supported ten such people across Chennai doing whatever he coud for them, and also kept helping in anyway.
The lady, Mary Saraswathi, chatted with my daughter for a long while, all in English ! Then waved us a cheery goodbye with a hand she could barely lift.
Today I am left with a sense of wonder. The vast community network of love and support which is able to give strength and support in the most dire of situations is Grace. No institution and no law can substititute the simple person to person love and concern.
The community and the flow of goodwill and goodness somehow has left a deeper impression than even the destitution. And Mary's complete poise, her English, her cogent replies, and grace. There was no trace of rancour and bitterness, as she answered all questions.
Maybe it is a wrong reaction, I do not know ... but the positivity seems more than the negativity.
(The older story -
Appeal to chennai friends - Radhika Rammohan Rama Subramanian Akhila Seshadri Sangeetha Sriram
behind the besant nagear busstop (RBI stop) there is an old lady surrounded by plastic bags of all shapes. she is fairly out of sight, but exposed to the elements. my daughter saw her two days ago and has been disturbed since. today we stopped to speak to her. she speaks fluent english and holds a level conversation. She is handicapped and unable to move at all. she asked my daughter to lift her hand and place it over her body, and then thanked her.
i asked her if she needed anything, and she said no - she had money and people would get her food. i asked her if i could look for an ashram like udavum karangal where she would be looked after - and she said she had come for a purpose and would return to chidambaram after that. she thanked us most kindly in english for stopping by.
she is handicallped, immobile, open to the elements, surrounded my rags and plastic covers - and i dont dare to imagine what could have happenned to her in life - she speaks fluent english, and is obviously from a well educated past.
could anyone more experienced suggest ?)
The homeless, handicapped old lady who lives behind the busstop - supported by all the goodwill of all the good men and women - the tea vendor, the watchman, the lawyer (who looks after ten people like her, which he said on my asking), the school children ... and blessing their days with her grace and goodness ...
... she said when we asked her if she would like to to a Institution, "No, who will support Desikan. I cannot leave him alone". He is the homeless man who supports her thro' her helplessness, by applying medicines, reaching her things and much more. And she also helps in what ways she can, maybe shareing the money that people give her sometimes.
Our Mary Saraswathi is as much a giver as a taker - as is everybody on earth. And to realise that is maybe the first step to understanding. Nobody is purely oppressed and needy - everybody scatters beauty also.
...
My elderly homeless handicapped friend who lives on the busstop, and her million watt smile which reminds me of truths too deep to put into words even - I went to give her some Dhanwantara Tailam which my doctor asked me to give her to apply liberally. Her limbs have lost movement only recently, and it would be possible to revive movement. He co-homeless dweller, Mr. Pandyan, will apply. When I was there another of her friends was there, and he said when I asked him that he was a Corporation worker, one of the people who cleans the sewage.
I am learning more and more of goodness and hope somehow these days - that in survives in the midst of all wrongs even.
Dear Aparna, thank you for this update.
Tuesday (4 days ago) was the day I met Mary Saraswathi in besant nagar. I spent a good three hours around her, talking to her as well as meeting her friends Aparna has written about.
With lovely people around her, Mary Sarawathi retains her smile and her sunny disposition, and remains extremely lucid and alert even after being on the streets for years. The 'kind people, happy city' campaign, when the Banyan launched it two years ago, intended to do the very same - reach out to those to make a choice to live on streets to give them what they'd need in terms of food and clothing, but most importantly a friend, to replace loneliness with love, to keep the person on the brink of mental illness (there is a strong correlation between homelessness and mental illness) from getting there. Then it seems to me, that 'Mary Sarawathi, RBI quarters Bus Stop, Besant Nagar c/o Pandian - the homeless man (helper as she'd say), Gopalakrishnan - the corporation staff, Balaraman - the security guard, Balakrishnan - the advocate (legal advisor as she'd say) and all the school children and their mothers' is the classic KPHC example.
As much as the above is true, we must not forget that Mary Saraswathi is old, immobile and has lost the use of her hands lesser than 10 days ago. She is in pain, and requires medical attention, which could possibly give her minimal use of her hands Atleast if we respond immediately.
She was willing to go to the hospital as an out patient when I met her, now she's in greater pain and wants to go to the hospital. The one promise she wants is that she be brought back after every visit (if more than one is necessary) to her home - the address is mentioned above. If we can coordinate hospital visits, her older friends will continue to care for her on the streets.
The catch: Mary doesn't want to institutionalised or hospitalised. It would be unfair to go against this.
Now may I ask amongst us, for one person who can coordinate this effort to get Mary Saraswathi medical attention ASAP, with the banyan's guidance and support on getting accessing services at the Royapettah GH? This would involve coordinating with people who can chip with their time/money or both, Mary, her friends and the Banyan.
It would take a little more effort and patience, but if we can play by the rules of one helluva lady, we'd have done something we didn't think possible before this and taken this series of 'kindness' one notch higher.
Mary Sarawathi said, "it doesn't matter where you live, it only matters what you do"
Now can we do this?
Today i went and saw her, and the smile quickly turned into tears. She said the pains in her body were too much, and could not someone help. I had taken some Dhanvantram Tailam, and asked if she would take some internal medicine that Dr. Girija had advised. She was willing, and I came home and sent my daughter down with it. But she is sufferring, and the pains and immobility seems too much.
Mary Saraswathi, the old homeless lady behind the bus shade in Besent Nagar, Chennai.
I gave her some Dhanwantram Tailam, as per Dr. Girija's instructions, and Brihat Chagalyadi Grutham. These are extrememly good ayurvedic medicines for such conditions of severe body pains, and loss of movement. She said her other homeless friend had applied the oil liberally and she felt better. She was grateful for the Grutham. Asked again when she would be taken to the hospital as
Archanaa
had said.Then she asked me in her impeccable English, "How much for the medicines." She reminds me so poignantly of my own village people - their npride and self respect, and their giving always matching their taking.
Vaishnavi Jayakumar
has helped arrange for the homeless handicapped lady at the RBI, Besent Nagar bus stop to be taken to the Royapettah Hospital. Till daybefore she was all cheer, but yesterday I saw her in tears saying the pulling pain in her arms and legs was too much. She asked if as offered she could go to the hospital.I went to see Mary Saraswathi, our homeless invalid at the busstop - to tell her that friends would take her to the hosital tomorrow. She was very cheerful and said that the tailam had reduced the pains considerably. I had given her a large bottle of Dhanvantram Tailam and told her to apply it liberally. That Tailam does help very substantially. She is also having a very good medicine called Bruhat Chagalyadi Grutham which helps such cases. She was even happier to know that she would be taken to the hospital tomorrow. If hand and leg movements can return - I can ask for nothing more (actually I have a long list of demands !).
When I went again with a nightie as she asked for one, one of her friends, the conservancy worker, came to talk with me. He addressed her so solicitously as Akka, and spoke to me with such simply dignity and respect, that I was reminded of my village people. He checked up on details, and then said he would call a lady from nearby and in the early morning darkness have her bathed also. he said he would help her into the auto before he left for work the next day.
The utter simplicity with which they help as far as they can, leaves me deeply moved, as always. But that is how Indians are - the simple illiterate Indians. Long long ago i bowed to their superiority.
The inherent goodness of human beings and the fact that the desire to give back is one of the best connectors ...a few weeks ago 
Aparna Krishnan
wrote about Mary Saraswathi, a lucid English speaking homeless person near besant nagar who was being taken care of by the community around, a tea stall owner, another homeless person, passers by and school children that gave her treats...Aparna wanted someone to be sure that she was OK- I just tagged a few friends from The Banyan Archanaa Seker
, Mrinalini Ravi
and Vaishnavi Jayakumar
...a psychiatric assessment was done , she was taken to VHS today with a bunch of folks who pitched in to ferry her to the hospital, take care of her there and hopefully ensure that she is OK. More importantly, I feel so blessed to have been witness to this amazing response of help - Radhika Rammohan
, Rajesh Rajendran
and Amy...Rajesh shared when I met him at the hospital that the lady who sold tender coconut near where Mary was gave her Rs 200/- as she set off to the hospital this morning. Its a wonderful world - feeling truly grateful and inspired at so many levels The lady who lives on the busstop in Adyar, with her immobile hands and legs, but with positivity and humour and verve enough for ten, today in good cheer told me that she was feeling better. She has been on Brihatchagalyadi Grutham and Danvatram Tailam. Today I gave her Brihat Vata Chintamani, a medicine that Dr. Girija usually prescribes after much thought only. It costs 800/- for ten small tablets, but the good doctor assured that the effects would be very noticable in a short time. I have no reason to doubt her as each assurance has always been validated.
If she recovers movement of one arm so that she can eat, thats enough. the other limbs lost movement long back, and could be hard to revive. She also requested 'oil massage', and the doctor said that she would recommend her case to the governement Anna Hospital. An assitant would be needed, and may need to be paid, as the assitant would be another footpath dweller also in dire finances.
... the story continued with Udavum Karangal taking her to stay in their home.
Through the good offices of a friend here, I got to speak to Mary Saraswathi, our handicapped footpath dweller who was taken to an NGO home. The NGO called me up, and offered to let me speak to her. They must have held the phone to her ear as her hands dont move.
She spoke as clearly and positively as ever. said she was well and kept well. She might have said that as the NGO staff was there, but i will also go and see her soon.
She asked after all the friends here who had helped her. She asked after my daughter and said 'avallukku en aashirvaasdam' ('my blessings on her') saying she had helped her so much. Yes, handling her on the footpath, holding her glass for her to drink water from, arrangeing her sheets, all this was not easy ... seeing the stench around her, and my daughter did it. And i think these blessings from Mary Saraswathi might be the most valuable thing she may have got in her 14 years.
Mary Saraswathi is like my village women - spreads cheer, gives strength when strength runs low, and in all crises has the poise and goodness to think of others and enquires after them without fail. And one forgets how disadvantaged and handicapped and pitiable she is ... or is she ? Or are we ?
6 April 2015 at 19:34 ·
Inimitable Mary Saraswathi - poor, homeless, destitute, handicapped and immobile. Kind, gracious, generous and strong.
After some heartbreaking efforts finally Vikram Kapur went out on a limb to help me find her in the NGO which had taken her off the street, her 'home' as she referred to it. I managed to speak to her on the phone. As she has stated firmly that she never wanted to go to a 'home' I was worried at her being taken away, and was reassured to speak to her.
Mary Saraswathi, asked for and also had a chat with my daughter. 've seen that people relate better to my daughter always. As adults we are seen as benefactors and sometimes that creates a gap between hearts. With children its always very easy.
My daughter just told me that she said, 'I was carried away as Ravana took away Sita. You are like the small squirrel which helped Rama. You have to come and see me.'
We went a couple of times to see her there. It was a comfortable bed in an airy room. She was bedridden, and always overjoyed to see us. But visits were not encouraged, and we were not able to go again. Many questions stay alive in my heart ...
Mary Saraswathi. homeless and familyless and poor. lived in a corner of a footpath behind a bus stop. She never begged, and only spoke with respect and self respect to those of us who chatted with her, and took food that some friends would give her. She was a living lesson of forbearance and goodness and positivity and strength to many people.
She was also an eyesore to the middleclass people, reminding them of the abject poverty, in the middle of their excursions to hotels. The poverty which could trouble a drugged conscience.
She was taken away a couple of days ago to a destitute home, away from the eyes of the beautiful people. From a corner of the footpath that was home to her - but which was not hers by any legal right. We the beautiful people need footpaths and parks more than the homeless need homes.
If we cared about Mary we needed to gived her a space in our homes, a corner. She was ready to move to a space near - her 'family' was this. Otherwise she wanted to stay in her corner - and as Senthil Kumar J sais, 'hers was a nil greed life'.
We cannot relocate her from her 'home' as she referred to the place to a 'destitute home'.
Her need for the footpath was greatest, and after that the need of the vegetable vendor. And least of all mine for 'nice walks'. Why are they both moved out, to make space for me and my tribe of 'beautiful people' ??
"And decision making is therefore not all black and white but the greys that come with helplessness, which is the way it should be.", as a friend put it as we were agonisng over Mary Saraswathi, our homeless street dweller friend
Her soul needs the space on the footpath she calls home and where her friends of many years are. Her body with hands and legs that cannot move need her to be confined to a bed in a 'home for destitute'. What should we prioritise ? Should we at all prioritise - who are we to.
She never begged, she never asked anyone for anything, and only radiated positivity, and took from friends. But she was immobile and thereby in filth. We felt we 'had to intervene', and 'do what was best for her'.
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