Heeding the desperate cries of the needy

Feed the hungry, love the unloved, protect the downtrodden, comfort the poor – these are but a few of the principles that Reverend Dr. Anandraj lives by. His motto in life – the upliftment of the poor and underprivileged.

Born to a family of little means in 1961 in Bangalore, Anandraj spent his early childhood under the guidance of his elder brother, albeit in poverty. Even during his young days, he felt a strong urge within him to serve the poor and was drawn closer to the service of the Church.

Over the years, he continued his service to mankind and the Church, and was ordained as a priest when he obtained the Bachelor of Theology certification. He then began teaching philosophy and continued to do so for seven years. However, in all this time, his innate tendency to alleviate the sufferings of the underprivileged did not hit the backburner, as he set the wheels in motion for several welfare schemes aimed at the development of the poor. And in recognition of his relentless work for the upliftment of the poor, the Gospel Church in India elevated Fr. Anandraj to the status of Bishop.

“My early days were spent in poverty and I lived through hard times. This is probably why I empathize with the suffering of the poor in society and cannot bear to see them struggle as they try to earn at least two square meals a day,” says Rev Anandraj, who believes that the Lord will shower blessings on everything that he puts his hands on. “I do not like to see others suffering, so I try my best to help as much as I can,” he adds. Towards this end, Rev Anandraj has established a charity trust called the Molin Mission, and has been associated with other welfare organizations as well.

Under his guidance, the Chennai–based Community Organization for the Rural Poor has geared up to build over 500 houses in Hoskote (Bangalore Rural District), to provide a roof for deserving people.

It does not end there. The organization intends to construct more houses and rehabilitation centers for the physically handicapped, orphans and destitutes at a later stage. The Bangalore–based construction firm, SLV Constructions has been assigned the task of completing the work. “We expect to finish the work in the next few months,” says Narayana Reddy, one of the contractors of the project.

The Reverend has also initiated various welfare schemes for the upliftment of the tribals in Chennai and has allotted 1,800 houses to them. Moreover, about 570 widows are given monthly pensions by his organizations. However, he is particular that the people he helps do not become dependent on him. For this he distributes funds and small machinery so that they become self–reliant.

Anandraj also presides over the organization called ‘Rural Resource Research and Development Centre’ in Mugaiyur village of Villapuram district, through which he actively undertakes community development activities.