Alice of the Real World

As a child, we had read the classic, “Alice’s Adventures in the Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. But in real world, what is this wonderland? It depends from person to person. It may vary from a fantasy land to an exotic garden, or a mountainous region. But what for children, who have no home, no food and no basic education?

For such children, a wonderland was created by none other than Alice, i.e. Alice Thomas.

One day this Alice spotted a rabbit and followed him, but she heard some screams from a corner and rushed to that spot. She was stunned to see his rabbit (a boy of 10 years) writhing in pain due to beating by his abusive parents for not bringing home enough money to buy food and booze.

That was the turning point for the 21-year old Alice. It led her to her own wonderland. She decided to take him away to provide food, shelter and education. After a few days, that boy brought two of his friends to Alice’s home. She helped them get a basic education and vocational training.

It was the beginning of her journey to wonderland. She decided to dedicate her entire life to the upliftment and rehabilitation of deprived and downtrodden children by launching an NGO, “Udhavi Karangal” (Helping Hands) in 1991 in the suburbs of Puducherry.

She started with a boys’ home for orphans, beggars, street urchins, ragpickers or those who needed food and education. The number of children swelled in no time and she had to expand the facility. She later also set up a girls’ home.

Initially it was difficult to enrol children due to protests from their parents, who considered them as earning hands. For children whose parents didn’t cooperate, she offered home schooling and made them complete their education through correspondence.

The government schemes and policies later proved to be of much help to her. Her organisation is government funded, with additional funding coming from self and her well-wishers for provisions.

Such is her dedication to her children that she and her husband decided not to have any themselves, as they already had 13, when they got married.

She is now 53, and her ‘wonderland’ is functioning for the last 32 years. As a part of Udhavi Karangal, she now runs a primary school too and is fully equipped to help children with their post graduation and beyond.

The first 10-year boy she met is now an autorickshaw driver and a father to a hockey player undergoing trainingbat Sports Authority of India. Many of her children, are now working as engineers, nurses, paramedical staff, child counsellors, musicians, and social workers. One who did MSc and M.Ed is the principal at her school.

She is Alice of the real world, not less than the wonderland.

–Kaushal Kishore