Alms and the Man

The man who made it possible is 35-year-old Navin Gulia, who quit the Army 13 years ago following a spinal injury that left him wheelchair-bound. Now he is endeavouring to make Gurgaon roads beggar-free with his organisation ADAA, which works for orphans and the physically challenged who have taken to the streets. Conceptualised last year, the organisation aims to set up a shelter for them by the end of this year. At present there are nearly 1,200 children begging on the streets of Gurgaon, of which about 700 are forced beggars. ADAA is providing food, medicines and basic education to about 250 child-beggars.

Felicitated with the National Role Model Award for 2006 by the then President Abdul Kalam and with several other achievements to his credit, Gulia also made it to the Limca Book of World Records in 2005 for driving 55 hours at a stretch through seven of the highest mountain passes in the world to reach Marsimik La 18,634 feet. 8220;Adventure is not about taking risks, it8217;s about eliminating risk. A sportsman looks at difficulties as challenges,8221; Gulia says.

The real battle, adds Gulia, is one that must be fought off the field, 8220;against the corruption, indifference and lethargy that pervade the society8221;. The society, he says, has turned a blind eye to underprivileged children. Instead of trying to bail them out of the situation, he says, people compound the beggar problem by giving coins to street children. Gulia has been striving to raise awareness and discourage people from donating small change. ADAA wants to bring to the notice of the administration the problem of the children on the streets.

He attributes the governmental apathy to votebank politics. 8220;These children cannot vote. They don8217;t even have a voice,8221; he says. Although voluntary contributions are coming in, only a fraction of them actually reach him because of the corruption in the system. Yet, Gulia is undaunted and plans to launch initiatives to generate funds for the proposed shelter. He is planning a 40-day cross-country road expedition called 8216;One India Campaign8217; to generate funds. Gulia will travel along the periphery of India, covering a distance equal to half the length of the equator, that is, over 20,000 km.

Gulia plans to write a book about the challenges he had to face. He feels his achievements have no meaning if he does not do anything for the society. 8220;Your ability never restricts you, your thoughts do. If you think you can, you can,8221; he says, as he works for a day when there won8217;t be a single child asking for alms on the streets of Delhi.

For more information go to adaa.in or call 9810245996