This is the story of an award winning chef, who was short listed for an elite job in Switzerland. A quick family visit but changed everything. As the hero, N Krishnan himself says, "I saw a very old man, literally eating his own human waste out of hunger. I went to the nearby hotel and asked them what was available. They had idli (small cake made from a mixture of cooked rice), which I bought and gave to the old man. Believe me, I had never seen a person eating so fast, ever. As he ate the food, his eyes were filled with tears. Those were the tears of happiness.”
N Krishnan from Madurai, Tamil Nadu was selected for CNN hero’s award in 2010, which was presented to him at Los Angeles. In appreciation to his service, the former US president Jimmy carter sent him a personal message. He is still not hung by the weight of awards and plaques of appreciation that have been showered on him and his ‘Akshaya Trust’.
Krishnan founded his nonprofit Akshaya Trust in 2003. Every day, he wakes up at 4 A.M, cooks a simple hot meal and then, along with his team, loads it in a red Maruthi van (donated by a family friend)and travels about 200 kilo meters (120 miles) each day, feeding the homeless and mentally-disabled in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. He serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to 400 indigent and elderly people in Madurai. He carries a comb, scissors and razor and is trained in eight haircut styles that, along with a fresh shave, provide extra dignity to those he serves. The Akshaya van stops whenever it spots someone in need. It could be on the top of a road or Rail Bridge, bus stops, busy market, traffic crossing or the railway junction. But the team feeds only the mentally ill destitute. "Only if there are leftovers, we distribute it among beggars or other able-bodied poor," says Krishnan. “I don't feed beggars. They can look after themselves. The mentally ill won't ask anyone for food or money,” says the 30 years old Sri. N Krishnan. Krishnan also performs the funerals of unclaimed bodies in Madurai.
Not a single mentally challenged person thanks Krishnan, nobody pays back by kind or cash and nobody even smile or acknowledge him. Still Krishnan carries on in a world where most of us get offended if someone doesn't say a thank you. Software giants like Infosys and TCS were so impressed with his work that they donated three acres of land to him in Madurai. Krishnan hopes to build a home for his wards there. The wild smiles of our mentally challenged brothren in Madurai keeps Krishnan happy.
