A blessed spot for the poor in the heart of Bengaluru where they can find a resting place by spending just Rs 30? That's Thotadappa Chatra, located near the busy Bengaluru City Railway Station and Majestic bus station, which see thousands of passengers arriving from faraway destinations every day and scouting around for affordable lodging.
You would have got an accommodation for the same amount 50 years ago. Now, you may not even get a full meal for Rs 30. But Gubbi Thotadappa Chatra (resting place) is different and the lodging rates are unusually low in a city where everything is prohibitively costly from the vada you eat to the room you rent.
Philanthropy in an age of the self-driven, and self-seekers? Well for some like Gubbi Thotadappa's Charities, the changing contours of the city or the world hardly matter for they are bound by values which go beyond time.
The Chatra was started in 1930 by Gubbi Thotadappaa, a merchant who used to frequently visit Bengaluru for his business related work, traveling from
Gubbi in Tumakuru. His business forced him to stay in the city and even in
those days, it was no easy task finding affordable accommodation.
It was then that Thotadappa struck on the idea of providing shelter to
travellers and merchants like him and built the Chatra near the railway
station. The good samaritan went on to start a hostel for poor students from the Veerashaiva community. Interestingly, Siddaganga Math seer Shivakumara Swamiji and former CM S. Nijalingappa were student inmates of this community hostel, which even today provides free food and accommodation to over 500 students.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mr C.H. Budihal, Executive Officer, Rao Bahadur Dharmapravartha Gubbi Thotadappa's Charities (RBDGTC) said: "Thecommunity hall is a shelter for hundreds of poor tourists. The Chatra has 150 rooms and can accommodate 300 people. It is open to poor people from all castes. We charge only Rs 30 from visitors."
"We have come to Bengaluru as my husband has to undergo heart surgery. We have to stay here for a week and can't afford to stay in lodges by paying huge amounts. At Thotadappa Chatra, we are provided accommodation for just Rs 30", Lakshmamma, a traveller who has come from a village in Ballari district said.
And how is the Chatra run? "Thotadappa had no children. He owned huge properties in Bengaluru which he donated to a trust named after him before his death. Most shops surrounding Bengaluru city railway station and some in commercial areas like Mamulpet are owned by the trust. The rent we collect from these shops touches Rs 40 lakh a month which is used to fund the free hostel in the city and in other districts in Karnataka," Mr Budhihal explained
To encourage meritorious and poor students who pursue post-graduate andprofessional courses, scholarships of Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 is provided bythe trust. Every year Rs 25 lakh is reserved for the purpose of providing scholarships,.
Philanthropy in an age of the self-driven and self-seekers? Well for some like Gubbi Thotadappa's Charities, the changing contours of the city or the world hardly matter for they are bound by values which go beyond time.
