Guardian angel for destitutes

“It is no news and there is nothing very unusual if people leave their homes and go to far off places in search of greener pastures and better living conditions for themselves. But, it is newsworthy of headlines if anyone leaves a cosy life behind at a very young age and goes far away with a view to bringing succour to the uncared for children. Sriman Manihara is one such young man who came all the way from London where he was born in 1953 as Mr Mathew W. Norton, to settle down in a quiet corner in Patamata in Sri Seva Niketanam Boys’ home.” This is what this writer had written in DC way back in July 1990. Much has happened since then and what he has done in all these 19 years forms a chapter by itself in the city’s history of service to the most neglected and downtrodden streetchildren. Manihara, the chief architect of SKCV Charitable Trust, is no more. He passed away on Monday leaving them to the care of his wife Bhakti Nidhi who worked with him with equal dedication. He was just 56 but he has not been keeping well for quite sometime. His body was taken round the city and was consigned to flames, mourned by a large number of admirers from different walks of life. His sons Madhav and Anand lit fire and performed the traditional Hindu rites. Manihara was the son of a reputed doctor of London, Dr D.W. Norton. He had his education in the best possible institutions in England and was personally trained at Universal and 20th Century Fox film studies in Hollywood by renowned actors. He studied film direction there and acted in films and plays both for cinema and TV. At the height of this glamourous life in show business, he felt disillusioned and was drawn towards Indian culture and heritage. He came to India in 1975 and started his life afresh as a teacher in a school near Delhi. After involving himself in social work for sometime, he founded in 1984, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Vidya Vihar Trust” (SKCV) for the welfare of uncared for orphans and destitutes in Pune single-handedly. After the expiry of the lease of the site there, he heard about Sevaniketanam here and shifted in 1987 with his Maharashtrian wife, Bhakti Nidhi and took charge of the boys’ home with 40 adopted children. That was the be-ginning and later former Mayor Dr J. Shankar provided him with site and other facilities for running the home in Gandhinagar with munificent donation from Ayyadevara Kaleswara Rao Cha-ritable Trust and several other philanthropic-minded persons of the city. SKCV now runs homes for them in three places and provides shelter for several destitutes in realising the cherished motto of Manihara: To make the life of every child, everywhere worth living.