In a city thrumming with festive cheer, the monastic stone structure on Hosur Road, synonymous with the Little Sisters of the Poor, reveals just a few overtures to Christmas. A crib, a tree, some modest festoons bring cheer to the elderly inmates being served a modest lunch, with the help of two young volunteers.
The butterflies from the sunny garden flit around visitors who arrive bearing gifts of goodwill. A family has come to give away woollen scarves, cardigans and socks to the inmates. Students from Presidency School are also here to spread some Christmas joy. A young woman stops to kiss Sister Helen’s hands and gift some table mats to the dining hall.
Sister Helen oversees the arrivals and departures and answers the phone in the verandah. Her sweet voice is barely audible and her face is tirelessly smiling.
When asked why she doesn’t sit down while manning the reception, she says, “I had a fall and suffered a fracture sometime back and if I sit down, someone has to pick me up!”
Sister Rosemary walks by with a trolley carrying donated provisions, and stops for a chat, “We have 110 inmates, all over 65 years, and to take care of them, we depend on public charity. I go out every day to rally resources. When people stop by, they feel everything is being taken care of but there is always a need for support and resources.”
The home is wary of being featured in newspapers because when more people come to know it takes care of the old, admission requests go up. “We cannot take in more people. It is our duty to take care of those who are already with us.” she explains.
A story may not be possible, this reporter is told, but a few consultations with senior nuns later, Sister Helen is asked to speak to me. She sits down finally and says, “I am 87… and 65 years a nun. can you believe that?”
She talks about the history of this charity for the old. In 1839, a Jeanne Jugan founded the Little Sisters of the Poor in St Servan, France. She gave refuge to a blind, paralysed woman and another destitute woman followed and then another. The Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor, “with its mission of hospitality to the elderly, was born.” Today, there are 202 homes in 31 countries and 2,710 Little Sisters of the Poor.
Says Sister Helen, “On April 30, 1900, the first two Little Sisters of the Poor arrived in Bengaluru.” This is how the mission of granting dignity to the elderly began in this city. The festive season following up to Christmas and the new year may be all about lavish spreads and shopping festivals at the malls, but here life is about extending the circle of warmth to those in need.
Says Sister Helen, “Old people need security, esteem and love. It is crucial that they feel valued and validated. Some of them have led good lives…you can see that in their bearing but they were cheated of all that they had and ended up here. Others had nowhere to go. Still, we refuse to call them destitute.”
A new block is coming up soon where the inmates will finally have a big, capacious dining hall and rooms to themselves. “Earlier we had dormitories but we do realise that old people need space and privacy like anyone else. And they will finally have both,” says Sister Helen.
The home does get donations but taking care of 110 people is a challenge on a daily basis. Sister Helen says, “We need what a big family needs. We were very grateful when someone stopped by the other day to donate shirts to the men and sarees and nighties to the women. The provisions run out fast. We always need rice, pulses, sugar, oil, milk, tea bags, coffee, soaps, detergents, spices, flour…you get the picture.”
But she concedes that the elderly do not just need food but recreation and joy too. And says, “We recently organised a Christmas party and invited some elderly people from another home and a few young, disadvantaged children. There was carol singing, the making of kal kals and such a joyful time of sharing. We don’t have an auditorium for cultural events but for our party, someone donated a shamiana for a while. However, arranging 200 chairs was no joke. We do, in any case, welcome visitors to come and spend time with our inmates.”
Sometimes, corporate executives come, she says, to organise little skits and some music for the inmates.
The idea is to give a taste of inclusiveness to those who have been sidelined by the society. And if Christmas is about the spirit of sharing, it is Christmas every day at the Little Sisters of the Poor.To make donations or volunteer time. visit
Little Sisters of the Poor,
26,Hosur Road
Richmond Road
BANGALORE- 560 025
Tel.No. (080) 2227 0273
Fax: 080 22293072
E-mail: lspbangalorestjoseph@vsnl.net
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