Enabling the disabled

Philanthropy comes in different forms and in varying levels of intensity. or Padma Shri Kailash 'Manav' (Kailash Chandra Agarwal 'Manav'), e founder-chairman of Narayan Seva Sansthan, it means empowering differently-abled and underprivileged, especially children from weaker Secctions of society, who have little hope of being able to lead normal lives.

- Joseph Rozario

Philanthropy stems from compassion, empathy and a love for ones fellow beings. But sadly, while there may be no dearth of those who feel moved by something touching, poignant or heart-rending, there are very few whose emotions are stirred beyond the point of being mere spectators. Kailash Chandra Agarwal 'Manav', however, is an exception. The founder-chairman of Narayan Seva Sansthan, an Udaipur-based organisation, he counts among those selfless individuals whose emotions were so stirred after witnessing the plight of the needy and helpless that he dedicated his entire life to the service of others.

Altruistic bent

Kailash 'Manav' was born in a family that was very spiritual, which inculcated a sense of spirituality and service in him. “My upbringing was focused on being compassionate and patient towards others, and that is how I developed a deep sense of compassion for the unfortunate,” he says. Having started his career in a post office, life for him was no different than any other regular government employee, until one fateful event changed his outlook forever. “One day I heard about a terrible bus accident and rushed to the scene to help people. What I saw at that accident site moved me towards service and philanthropy,” says Kailash 'Manav'.

The actual plunge into philanthropy, however, came with intent to provide free meals in government hospitals. “In 1985, I started Narayan Seva Sansthan with a fistful of flour and with the agenda of distributing free-of-cost meals to the attendants of patients in government hospitals,” says Kailash 'Manav'. This, he says, was prompted by a visit to a patient who he witnessed ate only half the meal that was provided to him by the hospital. On inquiring about the reason, he said that he was saving food for his brother, as they didn’t have the money to buy meals for him.