Stany Bela
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jun 25: When one looks at the skyscrapers dotting the skyline and density of posh vehicles vying with each other on the city roads, Mangaluru presents the look of a city that is developing at a fast pace. But, in their enthusiasm to get awed by the development works and projects in the city, many a time, people forget about those who struggle to manage even one square meal a day, and have no means to take proper care of their illnesses. The heart breaking story of Monamma and her physically challenged grandson again brings into focus the attitude of our so called educated, cultured society and failure of government agencies to reach out to the needy and abandoned.
The elderly woman and her physically challenged grandson can be located in the outskirts of the city. The duo, forgotten and ignored, with nobody around them to pay heed to their grievances, lead a life of penury. Sharath (17), physically challenged by birth, is vocally impaired and cannot stand on his own. The teenager has been living here since the last two years with his grandmother Monamma. Sharath’s life took a miserable turn when his grandmother fell ill last month. Now there is no one to take care of him and he has been struggling even to get one meal a day.
Speaking to Daijiworld, a neighbour said, “A few years ago, Monamma came here with her physically challenged grandson and managed to get a house for low rent. After seeing the struggle of the elderly woman for her survival, the house owner was reluctant to even charge rent, and allowed them to stay free of cost. Monamma was the caretaker of Sharath and she managed to arrange two meals a day for the two by working as a housemaid in houses in Kannur area. Unfortunately, Monamma fell ill and was admitted into a hospital last week and her grandson was left alone and orphaned.”
Mithun Rai’s timely intervention helped Monamma get hospitalised
"The sudden disappearance of the ever-active Monamma in the area made us suspicious and led us to visit her house. When we reached there, foul odour stopped us meters away from her home. We called a few other people and went inside the house. Monamma was lying on the floor and was in a very bad health condition. Sharath also had become drowsy without food and water. Immediately, we contacted various government agencies and NGOs to shift Monamma to hospital. But all of them managed to avoid us by giving reasons like current government rules and orders etc. Finally, we got in touch with Mithun Rai, youth Congress leader. Within half an hour, he visited the spot with his friends and shifted Monamma to Wenlock hospital for Covid test and later got her admitted to Bantwal taluk hospital. As per the latest information, Monamma’s health condition is very bad and she has not been responding to the treatment,” said a lady who knows Monamma since the last few years.
Sharath cannot walk nor stand without help from others. The house is filled with bad odour as no one has come here since a week. A kind hearted Muslim family has started to serve him food and clean the house.
The tragic story of Monamma and Sharath is one of the many heart-rending stories from our ‘Smart City’. There could be many more similar cases in different pockets of Mangaluru. It is very much necessary to rehabilitate these kind of people. All we can do is hope that the government and NGOs look into this matter seriously and take Sharath under their care.
"Sharath should be immediately shifted to a better place. He needs medical treatment and healthy food. He does not have anyone to take care of him. So the government or NGOs should take interest in this issue as soon as possible and avoid a death that could be attributed to the inhuman nature of people from the city which boasts of many NGOs and charities," noted an aged neighbour.