: Unable To Walk Herself, Woman Grows Organic Rice Fruits For 30 Special Kids #IndiaNEWS #Disability wheelchair user D Indra was barely four when she was admitted to a shelter home for children with

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Unable To Walk Herself, Woman Grows Organic Rice Fruits For 30 Special Kids #IndiaNEWS #Disability
wheelchair user D Indra was barely four when she was admitted to a shelter home for children with mental and physical disabilities. She was allowed to visit her parents and elder sister only during the weekends, so she was aware of the pain of staying away from loved ones in hours of need.
Today, at 36, Indra is making sure others in her village find solace and comfort amid the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. In Sirunallur village, Tamil Nadu, she runs Prem Illam, a shelter home of Prema Vasam, an organisation for children with disabilities.
Indra and her team distribute food during the pandemic
In 2019, Indra had started farming to provide healthy and organic meals to the children of Prem Illam. When the lockdown was imposed, she increased the yield. She provides lunch to those affected financially or due to COVID-19. She has also fed children whose parents were infected with the deadly virus.
“We grow 25 sacks of rice per cycle, which is sufficient to meet the needs of our organisation. The rest is distributed to the villagers. We are also planting vegetables and fruit-bearing trees on the organisation’s compound. The pandemic has been hard for all of us and we are happy to make a tiny difference with organic farming,� Indra tells The Better India. She often visits the farm, which is located on the outskirts of the village, to monitor the work.

Indra is like a mother to 30-odd girls with disabilities, but very few know about her inspiring journey.
A different world
Indra at her under-grade graduation
Indra was diagnosed with polio when she was five months old, which led to a 90% disability. With the hope that she will one day walk again, her parents shifted her to a children’s organisation in Chennai. With no formal education beforehand, Indra learnt to read and write here. If other kids were attracted to toys, Indra found her solace in books. However, having academic dreams and career goals was never encouraged in her family.
This continued until Brother Selvyn Roy came into the picture. A clinical psychologist by profession, he was offering his services to several shelter homes across India and Sri Lanka when he met Indra.
Impressed by the teenger’s zest and curiosity, Selvyn decided to start his foundation, Prema Vasam, in 1999 to give special education to kids like Indra.
“Brother Selvyn believed in me and tried to convince my parents that I would be able to cope in a regular school. But my parents were very adamant about protecting me from being subject to mockery and jokes. They were looking out for my safety but I was not scared. He told me it would not be easy but he also assured me that he would stand beside me,� Indra says.

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