CHENNAI: Magimai Santhosh was 17 months old, his sister two and half years old and their mother pregnant with another child when he lost his father.
His mother worked for daily wages and later as a noon meal worker to raise them.
“My elder sister is now a teacher and my younger sister a police constable,” he said.
Having realized the importance of education early, the folk music teacher, along with his friends Francis Pravin and Manoj Prabhakar, started the Ignite Charitable Trust.
They began by distributing food to the poor and now, with Rs 1 lakh from their savings, have paid fees for eight school students and five college students.
They also offer education counselling for students in 12 villages in Chengalpet, Cuddalore, Villupuram and Dindigul districts.
Manoj, who is pursuing higher education in the US, said they wanted to provide educational, psychosocial and mental health assistance to the vulnerable.
Francis Pravin said money was always a constraint for pursuing higher education.
“I faced it and many in my hometown in Villupuram are unable to pursue it for lack of funds.
So I joined Magimai and we decided to raise funds for children who aspire to study like us,” he said.
In the past eight months, the three with student volunteers from various colleges have distributed food to people in several Greater Chennai Corporation-run shelters, and 50 homeless each day.
They have held awareness programmes on mask compliance and need for social distancing using dance and music at the Broadway bus stop, suburban trains, and public places at Velachery, Thiruvanmiyur and Mylapore in coordination with police and the corporation.
The Trust provides dry rations to several families in slums.
“We haven’t taken any CSR funds or donations so far.
In future, we plan to scale up activities,” said Magimai.