Poor in status, rich in charity

Poor in status, rich in charity
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Highlights

No one has ever become poor by giving, said Anne Frank, the German-born diarist. But it is rare to see a poor giving. Here lies a story of a beggar who takes shelter at a temple chipped in at the right time to payback in a show of gratitude. 

Beggar donates 1.2 lakh to temple which shelters him

Vizianagaram: No one has ever become poor by giving, said Anne Frank, the German-born diarist. But it is rare to see a poor giving. Here lies a story of a beggar who takes shelter at a temple chipped in at the right time to payback in a show of gratitude.

When the management of Sri Uma Ramalingeswaraswamy temple was trying to raise funds through donations, the temple authorities were in for a big surprise when beggar Ch Kamaraju offered Rs 1.2 lakh as his donation.

Happy to have such a donor amidst them, T Ramakrishna, chairman of temple development committee, said, “we could not believe when Kamaraju made his decision to donate. He proved that social status is not important for giving. We are happy to have such a devotee. Of course, he is poor in financial status but rich in charity.”

The Good Samaritan, Ch Kamaraju, left his Oppangi home in Sriikakulam in his mid-20s. Eversince, he has been living at Cheepurupalli in Vizianagaram district.

The sixty-year-old goes round nearby villages to beg for money and food for his livelihood and returns to the temple by night. Kamarju was married at the age of 18 and within a short time he lost his wife. He was disowned by his family members. “I became an orphan. So I came to this temple and living here for the past 35 years,” he said.

The giver characteristic of Kamaraju came to the fore when the temple committee decided to provide sheds for the convenience of devotees. Donations were trickling in from the locals. When Kamaraju announced that he would give Rs 1.2 lakh there was disbelief in the air. But it was settled once he withdrew money from his bank account and paid in two phases.

“I believe that Lord Shiva is taking care of me and I feel that he is my parent. So I decided to give the money I earned for the development of the temple. This will give me a great satisfaction.

I have no family, no relatives, so why should I keep, save money with me,” he shared with The Hans India.

Recently, he donated Rs 5,000 to an orphan girl and made his intentions known that he would give some more to another girl shortly.

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