Chennai: Arun Kumar’s father, an army man, wanted his son to follow his footsteps and join the Indian defence forces in service of the nation. Unfortunately, Arun was struck by polio at age four and lost his ability to walk without assistance.
However, it did not stop Arun. He discovered that there are many ways to serve the nation and decided to find his own. So, the Mugappair resident founded the Arista Welfare Trust in 2012, an NGO run by him, a differently abled, in service of other differently abled persons in the society. In a chat with News Today, Arun Kumar narrated his story of devotion and perseverance to start Arista Welfare Trust.
Arun says that even in his youth, he did not let his physical limitations hinder his progress. “I worked hard without giving up and completed graduation in Commerce and PG in Public Administration from Madurai Kamarajar University. Later I finished technical education at Madurai American College,” he said.
Arun’s excellence was not limited to academics and it extended to the sports too. His many trophies and medals in national level sports tournaments for the disabled (like the Abilempics) speak for it. “I participated in the 2010 Abilympics held at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh and won a silver medal in athletics for Tamilnadu. And I won bronze in another national level event in Bangalore.”
It was around this time that Arun Kumar felt a strong desire to do something for the differently-abled people around us. Arun said, “After completing my degree, I worked in VGP recording studio because of my interest in the media field. My first-month salary was just Rs 2000. Even with such a low salary, I spent 10 per cent of it to help others.”
So, he started the Arista Welfare Trust in 2012 with the help of his wife, Janu Priya Elizabeth, and a couple of like-minded individuals. Arun said that the main objective of Arista is to create a platform around issues of common interest of women, downtroden and the differently-abled welfare, for the betterment of society.
Arun says, “Around 100 volunteers of Penniyam Potruvom, are a major help for our activities. TCS has also offered assistance and 50 members from the organisations volunteer for us.”
For his efforts, Arun received the Sadhanai Sudar Award, a South Indian award given to 100 outstanding differently-abled individuals. Reflecting on his journey so far, despite challenges, Arun quotes his role model, the famous American country music singer Jimmy Dean – “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
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Article by M Elakiya