“My new-found  Badlav family helped me in building my life from scratch” – Surendra Kaushal

Surendra Kaushal resident of Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, he has 3 brothers and 2 sisters, due to family discord between him and his father he decided to break all ties with family and lived his life staying on the footpath and working as a rickshaw driver and daily wage earner in Lucknow and Kanpur for almost 15 years. However, due to lack of proper diet, he kept falling ill frequently and felt physically very weak. In the year 2018 due to piles his health deteriorated further and in order to keep himself alive from drastic effects of prolonged hunger, he resorted to begging at Hanuman Setu to ensure his survival. Shiv ratan says when he used to beg he could collect 50-100 rupees per day and would arrange for food, however now he earns approximately 500-600/- daily from the chaat stall. When he used to stay at the rehabilitation center received regular health check-ups and attended workshops conducted for the beneficiary’s personality development. Through these regular activities which are aimed at helping them in becoming a better version of themselves, he learned new concepts such as why grooming is essential, how making a daily routine keeps you mentally fit. He says when he used to beg he felt very helpless and shameful. When he rejoined his family after 16 years nobody could recognize him and family members had assumed that he was no longer alive. However, it was very disheartening for him to know that his mother and father have passed away. However he has now started afresh by getting married and says “बदलाव संस्था मेरे लिए परिवार है जिसने मेरे सभी कष्टों को खतम कर दिया हैं, अब हम अपने परिवार के साथ बहुत ही सुखमय व सौहार्दपूर्ण जीवन व्यतित कर रहे हैं “