I have great respect for institution builders, who create when most others consume. I have heard about Fr. George Kannamthanam, a Claretian priest based in Bengaluru. Some of you may not have heard the word Claretian. Let me tell you that the Claretians, officially named the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation based in Rome. It was founded by Antonio María Claret on July 16, 1849.

Although his elder brother Alphons Kannamthanam, also called KJ Alphons, is a friend with whom I have spent time on various occasions, I have never heard a word about him from the former IAS officer, who was known for demolishing illegal buildings in Delhi, while he was with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). He later became an MLA, MP, and minister under Narendra Modi.

Fr. Kannamthanam does not need any brotherly prop for his existence, though he has never been averse to seeking his help when the need for the same arose. As a journalist, I always wanted to meet him and see the kind of work that he has been doing.

When he invited me to Bengaluru to attend the 35th anniversary of Hope Society he founded and the 10th anniversary of Project Vision he fathered, I decided to accept it. And that is how I went to Bengaluru and stayed at the Claretian Seminary, just behind the more famous St. Peter’s Pontifical Seminary I visited once following the murder of its Rector, Fr K.J. Thomas.

From the balcony of my room, I could see tall bamboo trees (actually bamboos are grass) hiding the seminary. They knew how the gentle priest was killed, and they would have told the world had they been blessed with the faculty of speech. No, I was not there to brood over the murder case on which the judicial verdict is yet to come.

Rather, I was there to introduce Fr. Kannamthanam to my readers. He was born in a large middle-class family of Manimala in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala. He was the eighth of 11 siblings. Theirs was indeed a blessed family.

Each of the 11 has established a name in his or her field, including one of the brothers who settled down at their ancestral property. Success should never be measured by the bank balance in a person’s account or the quantity of newsprint expended on him like in the case of Alphons. 

I was indeed very happy to meet his eldest sister Jolly who has been dipping into her purse to support her brother’s humanitarian activities. I could see the pride on her face when she received a memento to acknowledge her services to humanity.

The function to celebrate the anniversary was held at the same hall in the seminary where Fr. Kannamthanam and some friends sat together 35 years ago to set up the Hope Society. What drove the young priest was the need to serve the youth who were increasingly coming under the influence of drugs.

He realised that weaning away those who have fallen in the grip of drugs was as difficult as preaching to the buffalo. That is how he thought of setting up a de-addiction centre at Belgaum which today has grown into one of the largest such centres where thousands have come out of the influence of substances that provide hallucinatory experiences.

Fr. Kannanthanam is a man of needs in the sense that he rises up to the occasion. Thus when he realised that many people were falling victim to AIDS, he took it up as a challenge and started tackling the problem. What he did first and foremost was to instil confidence in them that they were not alone in their situation. He was there to help them.

Hope Society did not spare any effort to address the problems of HIV+ people who were ostracised by society. Their children, whether they were afflicted or not, were also not admitted to “prestigious” schools.

When natural calamities occurred as in Nepal where many areas were flattened by a devastating earthquake, he went there, raised resources — men and material — to help the Nepalese. When a similar tragedy struck Japan, one of the richest countries in the world, he did not see it as their problem.

He and his colleagues remembered how the people of Japan have been supporting them. They raised funds, though not as substantial as the funds Japan provides to India be it to build Delhi Metro or the Railway Corridor Project, to help the Japanese affected by the tragedy.

Likewise, when Tsunami struck India and other South Asian countries, he and his colleagues did everything possible to rehabilitate the people affected by the tragedy. In one case, they wanted to give a fishing boat and nets to the fish workers. That is when they realised that those workers had never owned a fishing boat. They either hired boats or went on boats as daily wage earners.

That is when they were encouraged to form partnerships to own and manage the boats, and nets that were provided. This instilled confidence in them, and today he vouchsafes that it was a successful project.

The whole world knows what happened in Kerala in 2018 when torrential rains flooded all the Kerala rivers. The ground floor of the Kochi airport was flooded, with water touching the roof.

He and his team went to Kerala only to find that one lasting solution many needed was a roof over their head as their houses were washed away by the flood waters. That is how he began building houses for the needy. He has built a large number of houses, and he dreams of building at least one house a day. Fortunately, people have been coming forward to help in building houses.

When Fr. Kannanthanam lost his mother during the Covid period, it implored him to start a feeding program that sought to provide food kits to all the needy, not just in Bangalore but wherever possible. That is how he has been adding on newer and newer projects and programs to make him an all-rounder, who addresses the all-round needs of the people.

Disability is a universal phenomenon. Everyone is born with multiple disabilities like the inability to speak, walk, eat which one overcomes over a period of time with the help of one’s mother and other caregivers. As one advances in life, one starts turning disabled once again.

One loses the ability to run, hear, see and the like till the call of death comes. Some are born visually challenged, and some lose eyesight after their birth. If one blindfolds oneself and tries to walk, one will realise the dangers of the exercise. It will be a reminder of how challenging life is for the visually challenged.

Fr. Kannanthanam developed the concept of a blind walk, an idea that became very popular. Blind walks were held all over the world in which tens of thousands of people participated. He has enabled them to empathise with the visually challenged.

That is how Project Vision was launched. Not many people know that eyes can be grafted from a body within a few minutes of death, and it can be transplanted into another person. Yet, the number of people who are willing to donate their eyes comes nowhere near the number of people who can receive such eyes and live a life seeing and enjoying the beauty God has created. 

The project has been a resounding success in the sense that there has been a sudden increase in the number of donors. More and more ophthalmologists have been associating themselves with this project, as I could infer from its 10th-anniversary celebration. I was amazed to see a spectacle they can use to walk on the road without any help. 

With technology attached to the spectacle, the visually challenged are warned in advance about any obstacle in front of them. I met a couple who revolutionised the concept by introducing apps and goggles which cost only a fraction of what they cost in a European country. 

The star of the day was Fathima, a student from Malappuram in Kerala, now studying in Thiruvanthapuram. She was specially invited for the anniversary. Fathima is a melodious singer. She wins prizes in the state-level youth festival, where the standard of competition is very high. She gets prizes in both general and special categories. She is the brand ambassador of Project Vision. She exemplifies what a visually challenged person can achieve.

Fathima can sing in 12 languages, including Kannada and French. Every person present was amazed when she sang a French song for two French women who were present. Fathima was able to answer all questions in the examination using a computer. She did not need any help to do so. 

Fathima’s ambition is clear. She wants to get into the Indian Foreign Service and represent India in world capitals. Anybody who has spoken to her for two minutes will realise that this Brand Ambassador of Fr. Kannanthanam can indeed make the grade. 

He has many programs and projects to look after, but what he considers home is Sumanahalli. I had also heard about this project and was keen to go there. That is where he stays. 

Sumanahalli has a long story which he narrated in a book titled "The Empty Nest," brought out by Claretian Publications. This was a God-forsaken place about 50 years ago. When Devaraj Urs became Chief Minister, he wanted a permanent solution to a problem Bengaluru faced. Begging was banned in the city. The police would catch the beggars and take them to what was known as the Beggars Colony. 

Many of the beggars were leprosy patients. There was resistance from the beggars against the police practice of dumping leprosy patients in the beggars' colony. The complaint was genuine. Leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases. The sacred texts like the Bible and the Puranas mention it. There was no cure. The “lepers” as they were called were driven out of all public places.

The Chief Minister contacted the Archdiocese of Bengaluru to explore the possibility of finding a permanent solution to the leprosy problem. He believed that Christians alone could treat them with dignity. He offered to give land and even money to take care of them. The church did not want to let him down. The challenge was accepted.

In due course, 65 acres of land were allotted on a lease for 30 years. Usually, Government leases are for 99 years except in the case of a Kerala dam from which water goes to Tamil Nadu under a lease for 999 years. 

As Sumanahalli began to take shape, the church realised that the welfare and rehabilitation of leprosy patients were more easily said than done. Changing public perception was only one aspect of the challenge. The inmates of Sumanahalli had to be weaned away from begging. They needed medical care. True, there were medicines to cure them, but to treat the ulcers was time-consuming and expensive. 

They needed to be trained in various arts and crafts. Fr. Kannamthanam, who became the in-charge of Sumanahalli, even had to play the role of a matchmaker when he found that a couple who had recovered from leprosy could lead a married life. 

Since children from Sumanahalli were not welcome in other schools, a school had to be built for them. Teachers who were committed to teaching them had to be found. He also had to move in the corridors of power to ensure that some seats are reserved for leprosy-cured persons in government jobs.

Today, Sumanahalli has a cloth factory where thousands of jeans, trousers, and other clothes are made. They are made to order for companies that own popular cloth brands. There are many who have crossed the age when they can work. They are taken care of with food, medical care, and other necessary attention. 

It was a day after the International Disability Day that I went to Sumanahalli to have food with the inmates. It was simple vegetarian food that was served. More than the food, what I noticed was that each person in Sumanahalli knew Fr. Kannanthanam, and he, in turn, knew their names and about all the significant events in their life.

Yet, Sumanahalli or Hope Society or Project Vision is not dependent upon him for survival. Succession is a major problem in institutions that are closely identified with one person. In this case, there is a second layer of leadership that can carry forward the movement. My salute to Fr. George Kannamthanam. May God bless him and his work.