Light at end of the tunnel: Mentally ill man gets house after struggle

CHENNAI: R Thangavelu and Parvathi shifted houses with their mentally-challenged son at least six times in two years. A cart-puller, Thangavelu found it difficult to pay the rent after meeting his son’s medical expenses.
After a couple of years of struggle, the couple has finally found light at the end of the tunnel.
The state government has agreed to pay monthly maintenance of Rs 1,500 for their son S Anand, 32, and will also provide him a place to stay.
For Thangavelu, it has been a painful journey, travelling from one state department to the other with an application seeking for his son the monthly allowance he was entitled to. Each time, the officials found some excuses to deny him the sum.
When Thangavelu and his wife first approached the differently-abled welfare office in Chennai, officers asked them to open a joint bank account. They then approached many banks, but none was willing to give them what they wanted, citing their son’s mental health.
Finally, with the assistance of an organisation that works for the welfare of the differently-abled people, they managed to open a joint account in a nationalized bank branch in the city.
But that didn’t solve their problems. The officials wanted Anand’s Aadhaar number and they had to file another application, explaining that their son was not in a position to attend the Aadhaar interview and requesting that he be provided a number without fulfilling ther procedure.
After the government department sanctioned the maintenance sum, another hurdle cropped up.
The couple moved from Ayanavaram to Mangadu, which is in Kancheepuram district.
“The officer cancelled the maintenance order that was sanctioned as we moved to Mangadu. He said it was not under the Chennai jurisdiction. So we had to fight for the maintenance for a couple of years. We are happy that we have got justice,” said Thangavelu.
S Namburajan, who helped the couple all along their journey, said they were not aware that their son was entitled to a monthly maintenance when he first met them at a function. “I told them to file for the monthly maintenance and also for a place to stay. Many people with mentally-challenged children are not aware of these rights,” said Namburajan, state general secretary of the Tamil Nadu association for the rights of all differently-abled and caregivers.
“We are happy that Anand will get monthly maintenance of Rs 1,500. He will also be getting a place to stay at the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board,” he added.