BENGALURU: For Mangalamma, 39, who is partially blind, life in the best times has been difficult.
Things only turned worse when she lost her housekeeping job during the lockdown.
She and her daughter faced starvation but were bailed out by a good Samaritan.
“I do not know who he is, what he is doing or what he has done, but he saved us from a crisis,” Mangalamma said.
Her saviour was tech guru V Chandrasekaran, who has helped some 550 families with rations.
Reeling under hunger and penury after losing their jobs, many labourers’ families had no idea whom to approach.
They lined up at Marathahalli police station every day seeking help.
Faced with such a large number, the police were at their wits’ end when the former head of Wipro Systems Ltd volunteered to provide ration kits by spending more than Rs 10 lakh.
“I live with my daughter and my husband died 10 years ago,” Mangalamma said.
“We were left without help during this lockdown.
When I approached the police, they gave us ration kits.
It would have been a disaster if we had not received any help.” Chandrasekaran, 72, whose career in the software industry has spanned more than three decades, was involved in helping distressed labourers during the lockdowns last year through the police.
When he learnt that there were not many donors during the second wave, he stepped in again.
Anitha K, police sub-inspector, who was recently transferred out of Marathahalli station — she is currently posted in Byappanahalli — said that there were a lot of migrants who were visiting the station and even residences of police personnel seeking help.
“There were not as many donors as there were during the nationwide lockdown last year.
We were also struggling to get them help when Chandrasekaran stepped in,” Anitha said.
“What is great about him was that he approached us and said he was ready to help.” Speaking to TOI , Chandrasekaran said, “I live in a senior citizen community and we were not allowed to step out.
I read that people were finding it difficult to get even one decent meal a day and I thought it was time to stand with them.
I contacted the police and they told me that there weren’t as many donors as before.
Immediately, with the help of police we were able to reach out to those people.
I always wanted to do something but needed the right people to supply to the needy.
The police did that.” Chandrasekaran, who is also involved in a lot of other charitable works, said it is his duty to give back to society which “has given him a lot”.
He also credits his wife Radha Chandrasekaran as the backbone for all his charitable activities.