Meet Shyamsundar, a labourer who houses and feeds 98 homeless children

Kalahandi Odisha Setting an exemplary example of selflessservice a labourer from the district has setup an ashram to nurture and feed homeless childrenShyamsundar Jal in his sixties had begun this journey of looking after these children around 35 years ago His dedication and hard work have now taken the shape of an Ashram which as of now houses 98 children including 76 girls and 22 boysHe also gets the support of his wife Kasturi Jal in this initiative and one of his first adopted children has also started sharing the load of the daily chores in the AshramSpeaking to ANI Shyamsundar said I have made this ashram 35 years ago in the name of my mother I started than even when I was unmarried I was initially working as a house help and then as a tailor to feed these children As of now we have 98 children who are all of different ages and are studying in different schools and collegesNow I work as a labourer as I could not continue as a tailor due to poor eyesight he addedHe has also made a small room at the main road near his Ashram where parents who do not wish to keep their children can leave them to be taken to his ashramPreviously people would leave kids at different places on sides of roads and temples and they also get injured Hence we decided to make this room where anyone can leave their children he saidAs many as 14 girls and seven boys from the Ashram have also got married after attaining the right age However one of the first adopted girls Ranjeeta Jal has decided to devote her life to this causeShe says I was very small when I came here I have been living here since my childhood I am now 36 years old and we all live here very happily I have also decided to devote my life for this cause A lot of children who grew up here have also gotten married There are no issues with anyone here and we are all happyWith time the cause adopted by Shyamasundar has also garnered support from locals administration and the government and he aspires to leave the legacy of a well functional Ashram which continues catering to such childrenI am already in my 60s and working to make this Ashram better in terms of facilities so that my children do not have to face any problem after I leave the world People from all walks of life are helping us here now he saidCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates