How city was made beggar-free

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is about the fulfilling of a dream, the dream of a bunch of souls who didn’t turn their faces away from beggars. And thanks to their resolve, today 90 per cent of beggars of the capital city have a roof over their heads. This first-of-its-kind initiative in India to rehabilitate beggars, named ‘Sakshatkaram’, was launched by Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust. And the documentary ‘Sakshatkaramee Jeevitham’, screened at Corporation Hall the other day, traces the path of this project during the last four years. There used to be a time when beggars used to be a common sight on the city pavements and roadsides. The Corporation and the Trust had taken it upon themselves to change the situation and Sakshatkaram thus born. The scenario is now different, with a major chunk of the beggars being rehabilitated, the documentary says.The documentary screening was inaugurated at Corporation Hall by Panchayat and Social Welfare Minister M K Muneer. Mayor K Chandrika presided over the function and among those who viewed the documentary were the Corporation councillors. K N Anandakumar, founder and executive director of the Trust, handed over a memento to the Minister. The documentary has been directed by Anandakumar. Sreekandan Karikkakom has written the script, music is by Ouseppachan and Vijith Pullookkara has handled the camera and editing.