Using a log of wood as a pillow, 50-year-old Ramachandraiah, a person with disability, would sleep on a piece of clothing spread out on the cold, sandy ground. His 95-year-old mother lay next to him on a rickety old cot. A handful of their household items were spread out around them. They had no roof over their heads, no shelter from the cold. This was their living condition in Telangana’s Suryapet district for several days until help came in the form of a traffic inspector from Hyderabad.
Moved by their suffering, LB Nagar Traffic Inspector Anjapally Nagamallu, known for his philanthropical activities and social work, constructed a single bedroom for them within 20-days by pawning his daughter's gold. According to Nagamallu, Ramachandraiah, a resident of Chilpakunta in Telangana's Suryapet district had no one to take care of them. Both mother and son make a living by seeking alms, and have been suffering since the monsoon. Seeing their plight, a regional news channel, aired a small story. Disturbed after seeing the news, the inspector, immediately got in touch with the reporter, found out their address and decided to construct a house for them.
“It was extremely sad. It really made me uncomfortable, I wondered how they were able to survive in this harsh weather. So, I decided to pawn my daughter's gold ornaments and my gold chain and ring to erect a shelter for them,” Nagamallu says to TNM.
Nagamallu says that his wife and family readily agreed to his idea. “My parents and wife were extremely supportive. They were convinced that I was spending the money for a noble cause and supported me,” he says.
The inspector raised Rs 64,000 by pawning the gold and constructed the one-bedroom home with asbestos sheet. “For me gold is just a luxury which was just lying in my almirah, I can get back it in a few months.” he says, and adds, ‘’I have never experienced such immense joy of helping someone so far. My family and kids came for the housewarming ceremony. It was truly a moment.”
Several have reportedly come forward to help Ramachandraiah, after the house was constructed by the inspector.
Nagamallu is well-known in the city for his social work. He has saved lives of many accident victims, by promptly rushing them to hospital. He is also an anti-superstition activist and artist, who can sing as well write lyrics.
Earlier in June, when the state witnessed a number of mob lynchings due to hoax WhatsApp messages about child abductors, he penned a song to raise awareness about the fake messages, urging people not to take law into their hands.