journey of a trust in slum area

Kannagi Nagar is a resettlement area founded by TNSCB to clear slums and beautify
Chennai. It has people who 'resettled’ here from various slums in the city between 2000 and 2010. It
was with wide, neatly laid roads and multi-storied apartments. On the other hand it has more than 150
listed criminals. There are so many crimes happen there. Mrs. Umamageshwari is one among the
slum people who constantly concern about these issues. She thought that lack of education is the main
reason behind it. She thought she can't do anything. But she got a burning desire to do something .
This article describes the journey of herself from starting street tuition to KSW Trust.

This joureney is not a fruitful journey. It's with lot of struggles. Being a woman she faced
many discrimination through out this journey. Even she has developed so far, still she has been
discriminated . Her growth gains her many haters too. At first she started the tuition in her doorstep.
It's not an intended one. She asks her three children to study on the doorstep, on seeing this other
children are also sat with them and studied. The next day there are ten students along with her
children. These students made an impact on her. She says she has gotten a hope that she can make this
slum area shine by bringing more students to study . But her thoughts were of several sides, she was
not educated, she didn't have that much money, because her husband Mr.Vasudevan was only an auto
driver . But the students increased day by day. Friends of their children and other students too came
there to study. They occupy the streets before the house . There were almost 100 students within a
month . Motivated by this she started a tuition centre. Her tuition centre was named Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar free night tuition centre. On one occasion she seeks help from Isabella hospital, a nearby
hospital for accommodating these students to study in their open space as there was a problem
regarding these students occupying streets for their tuition. She seeks help from Elite class people,they
have raised some funds and with this and the help of her neighbour daily workers she has built a new
tuition centre which has three big wide classrooms attached with a library ,a kitchen and lavatory.
This tuition strive to provide free education to underprivileged children in Kannagi nagar and Ezhil
nagar, its neighbouring village. Its mission is to break the cycle of poverty and give children from
disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to succeed. Its aim is to create a world where every child,
regardless of their socio-economic background, has access to a quality education and the opportunity
to reach their full potential. So many people were helping and raising fund for this tuition centre. IN
past 10 years this centre has sent almost 2000 students for higher studies. Some of the students who
passed from this tuition centre has also taught the students of this tuition centre. They felt pleasure to
support Uma.

She not only stop with the tuition centre she made use of this building as a trust. She named
this trust as KSW Trust (abbreviation for Kannagi Nagar Social Welfare Trust) . With this trust she
helps many poor people, provide them with provisions and food. Whenever needy people approached
this trust, it help them whole heartedly. Mainly the measures taken by this trust in 2015 flood and
corona pandemic was phenomenol. They helped the road side living people by offering them food,
mosquito nets, blankets. She said" we have to provide the needy. There is no meaning in giving a
person who has everything." Along with this trust she made many development to the tuition centre
too. She got broken computers from people and repaired it with a help of her neighbour. And because
of this there are ten to twelve computers for the students and they were taught basic computer
knowledge . Concerning economically weaker women and widows the trust offers free tailoring and
embroidery class in afternoon for past 8 years. The centre now provides computer class, arts class, and
music and dance class especially parai attam for the students along with the tuition class.
 Umamageshwari becomes a beacon for the slum people of Kannagi Nagar. Her motherly
nature is noteworthy. Every student of this tuition centre call her as " Uma mama" and every staff call
her as " Uma kaka". This shows her attachment to these people and they were all look like a family.
It's almost 12 years of her social works, still she has that burning desire to educate the poor slum
children and to help her society to develop. she said," my main mantra is education,revolution and
love. And my inspiration is Dr.B.R.Ambedkar." She also placed a statue of Ambedker in this tuition
centre. She has also got many awards for her social works. She shows that even a normal woman can
become a revolutionary if she has the burning desire.