Corona is never before ever after pandemic. In such tough times, several individuals have done best humanitarian help that is best possible by them to help the poor, restoring people’s faith in humanity
Hyderabad’s well known financial consultant Kandanur Janaki Ram Sarma is one. He is a top notch professional whose clientele include Allu Entertainment LLP and Geetha Arts of Allu Aravind, Maxivision Eye Hospital of Dr. Kasu Prasad Reddy, Cinematica Digitals Pvt. Ltd., Karvy Data Management Services Ltd., and many other corporates and HNI’s.
He moved when he knew that many poor were sleeping without food for dinner and waking up hungry during the initial phase of Lockdown.
The service minded, 61 years old, resident of AFOCHS (The Armed Forces Officer’s Cooperative Housing Society), Sainikpuri, couldn’t venture out on his own as he was forced to stay indoors due to some health precautions. “I have suffered a heart attack some time ago. And I didn’t want to take risk during the Corona outbreak to serve the needy physically. So I chose to support financially”, he confides.
The very thought of imagining people going to sleep hungry disturbed him. Because, I know the hunger pain myself, he added.
When he came to know about Project Bun, an initiative of Freemasons of Telangana, to provide ‘Bun and Banana’ for breakfast to such people who wake up hungry with dry throat. He felt sad and happy at the same time. Sad, as there are people who are undergoing misery and happy that an NGO is coming forward to alleviate the misery of such people. He wanted to do something. He volunteered to contribute. But, urged the NGO if they could add Biscuit to their plan of ‘Bun and Banana’ so that it could become a wholesome breakfast. And those dinner starved poor could sustain their hunger pangs till afternoon. Lunch wasn’t a problem to many poor who got abundant supply of food over Lunch from different philanthropic individuals and NGOs.
Janaki Ram, a service minded person from his early childhood, has contributed Rs 1,71,000/- to the “Project Bun” at different intervals between April 17 to May 20th, besides many other charities like hosting Ifthar for 400 students of a Maddrassa during this Ramadan.
“Charity for me is spreading love through selfless service. I can’t bear sufferings of people. I don’t mind sacrificing my personal comforts. Even if I have to take a loan to support a good cause, I don’t mind. It gives me immense satisfaction” Janaki Ram Sarma explains, how passionate he is about social service.
“Their happiness is my happiness”, he says. A die hard devotee of Satya Sai Baba and a firm practitioner of His motto “Love All Serve All – Help Ever Hurt Never”, and a staunch devotee of Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Karnataka, Janaki Ram Sarma, reiterated Swami Vivekananda’s saying, “be unselfish you will get strength of a lion”. “Doing social service gives me strength of a lion. It gives me a feel good factor. I have total support from my family—spouse Shailaja, mother, son and daughter”, he explains.
Janaki Ram, in the recent past, provided a bus to a school of Imam-E-Zamana Mission, funded a bright student from the lower rungs of the society, who wanted to pursue his overseas education, built a house for a poor family etc., which are among the many charities and causes he serviced and financially supported.
“I am planning to start a new foundation to provide education to the deserving few”, he shares.
Speaking about “Project Bun”, of Freemasons of Telangana of which Janaki himself is a member, “It was a brilliant idea. It offered a full nourishment and wholesomeness. I supported it, especially both from the point of view of nourishment and service, fortified by the “Charge in the North East” I received in Freemasonry.” he says.
The initiative of What’s App Group ‘Brothers for Fun’ of Freemasons of Telangana, provided on a daily basis over the past 50 days, 1700 Buns, Bananas and Biscuits at 13 different locations in the city to the municipal sweepers, rag pickers, construction workers and roadside dwellers.
Bun is a good old food. It is a rich source of protein and carbohydrates. It is a good food for breakfast especially when you wake up hungry with dry throat with hunger pangs, he shares.
“I have seen some people ending up eating leftover food thrown in the garbage as waste. Some of the beneficiaries of Project Bun were such people. That is why I supported Project Bun. In a little over month since the Project Bun was operational, Freemasons distributed 54,500 buns. I am happy, I could become a small part of that charity,” he shares.
Your greatness is not in what you have but in what you give, he says.
A numismatist and a philatelist, Janaki Ram Sarma has a huge collection of coins and stamps belonging to 40 countries.
Coins and Currencies collection is fun for all ages. Whichever country that I travel too, I make it a point to collect coins, bills, currencies and postal stamps. They have history to tell. I being a financial consultant myself am very fond of collecting coins and currencies. I learn a lot from them, he says.
Money is important, but, money is not everything. There are many things money can’t buy. But, kindness is, says Janaki Ram Sarma.
Being a financial consultant for over 30 years, he shares some of his financial wisdom. The secret to personal money management is learning to be content. Spend less than you earn and you will be happy. Practice ceiling on Desires, he says.
