Yadaiah initially refused help; he was persuaded and then shifted to an old age home
Yadaiah, an abandoned old man
Hyderabad: For nearly five months, the footpath on the Narsingi stretch was home for Yadaiah, an abandoned old man.
With his toes being covered in ant-bites, flies surrounding him, thrown food being picked by stray dogs, the man was wrapped in an old blanket trying to hide his face from people. His vision is blurred and his beard and hair uncut for months. With a little booklet of phone numbers of family lying beside him, he looked feeble.
It was when a concerned citizen noticed him freezing and helpless that he was shifted to a home to live out the rest of his days. After an hour of convincing the frightened old man, who initially pleaded every helper to leave him alone, a team from Deccan Chronicle, supported by Yashoda Hospital, Secunderabad, shifted Mr Yadaiah to Friends of Birds of the Air (for men) at Nagaram.
The entire operation began following a mail from DC reader Atin Srivastava, a resident of Langar Houz, who sought DC’s help to provide medical help and relocation for Mr Yadaiah.
On Thursday, with the help of an ambulance provided by Yashoda Hospital, supported by driver M. Srinivas Goud with helper M. Phani Kumar, the team shifted the man.
Initially Mr Yadaiah was unwilling to shift. “Leave me alone, I don’t want to go anywhere; I will live or die here only, please go, I beg you. I don’t have anyone, I am alone,” he said. After an hour of convincing him, he finally agreed to be shifted.
Locals say that Mr Yadaiah is from Kishen Bagh. S. Raju, a local resident, added, “Every day we give him idli in the morning. Few women help him by giving bananas and water as well.
We have been seeing him since September. Earlier he used to move a bit, every day we go and wake him up. Those two idlis kept him alive. Sometimes, a lady visits him, we assume she is his sister. He even refused to talk to her. At times he asks for a cigarette.”
“Few people have helped him with blankets, whatever is in our means we do for him,” the local people said. When DC contacted his family on the number provided by the tea stall owner, the family refused to identify him.
Mr Yadaiah was first taken for a medical check up at Nagaram where the doctors said that he was suffering from malnutrition and was disoriented. He was prescribed a few health tonics and medication for his wounds and was advised a semi-fluid diet.
Despite the city having quite a few old age homes, none of those contacted agreed to take Mr in Yadaiah. Only Friends of Birds of the Air (for men) at Nagaram agreed to admit him.
Seven old age homes were contacted, including the Sisters for Poor at Bhoiguda who stated that they had no vacancy, Priayadarshini Seva Mandali at Bachupally said they would get back to us and United Way Hyderabad said that the case had to go to an NGO through the police as it was a case of abandonment.
Only Friends of Birds of the Air (for men) at Nagaram agreed to admit him. In spite of many homes, there is no agency to help connect the needy with the authorities or for rescue operations. The few GHMC night shelters serves no purpose as they only provide shelter without people to take care of such cases.
7 homes contacted, only 1 took him in:
Shifting Yadaiah, was not an easy task. This was not because the city lacks old age homes, but because most of the old age homes contacted refused to take him in.
DC reader Atin Srivastava, who sent Deccan Chronicle a mail following which Mr Yadaiah was shifted, said, “My wife and I visited him late evening on December 26, 2014, to give him a woolen blanket. He told me that he was from Mangal Ghat area and had a stomach operation. Locals said that he was an unmarried man disowned by his siblings. I tried contacting certain old age homes but they had a lot of questions and also said that they did not take such cases.”
Seven old age homes were contacted, including the Sisters for Poor at Bhoiguda who stated that they had no vacancy; Priayadarshini Seva Mandali at Bachupally said they would get back to us and United Way Hyderabad said that the case had to go to an NGO through the police as it was a case of abandonment.
Only Friends of Birds of the Air (for men) at Nagaram agreed to admit Mr Yadaiah. In spite of many homes, there is no agency to help connect the needy with the authorities or for rescue operations. The few Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation night shelters serve no purpose as they only provide shelter without people to take care of such cases.
( Source : dc )
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