‘Second Innings Home’ For Elderly Abandoned By Their Families, This Ashram Needs Your Help To Continue Their Good Work

It is said that the elderly often behave like children - they possess the same innocence and exhibit the same level of helplessness, but are not valued in the same way in all households. This is the dark truth of our times, which manifests itself in societal evils like, neglect, abandonment and other heinous crimes against the elderly. In this scenario, organisations like Ram Lal Old Age Home represent hope amidst darkness. 

Situated in Agra, across the banks of the river Yamuna, Ram Lal Old Age Home/Ashram provides shelter, food and medical assistance to 350 old, sick and homeless persons without the help of government grants. The ashram also runs four cow shelters and one fodder storehouse, which houses around 500 cattle that were rescued from slaughterhouses, roads, drains, dump yards etc. Many of these cows were abused - burned with acid, sustained limb fractures, and suffered from multiple other illnesses.

“We find old people on roadsides covered in rags, who are hungry and sick. We cannot turn a blind eye to their suffering so we try to accommodate them, and take care of all their needs,” says Shiv Prasad Sharma, who is the president of the organisation.

There is a heartbreaking story behind how the home came to be founded “In 2004, my grandfather was about to board a train at the station when he saw an old man crying. He found out that his son had abused him, and then abandoned him. My grandfather immediately offered to help, and went to buy the old man a ticket to travel along with him. But before he could even reach the counter, the old man jumped in front of a running train and died on the spot,” Shiv Prasad recalls.
 

“This incident shook my grandfather to the core. He rented out a whole building and actively started looking to rescue people who languished on footpaths and temples. What started as a 50-people shelter home now accommodates 350 people. All residents have access to 24/7 medical care, nutritious food, clean clothing and well-furnished rooms. We also take utmost care of their entertainment needs as our facility is complete with a library and a park, and 25 staff members to tend to their beck and call. The residents also get to participate in satsang bhajans, watch television and engage in cows therapy to deal with depression,” he adds.

An MBA graduate who had years of corporate experience, Shiv Prasad joined the organisation in 2014 after he became emotionally invested in caring for the elderly. He couldn’t bring himself to go back to his old routine, and dedicated his life to this cause.

“During the Covid-19  pandemic, we faced a difficult time meeting expenses as the all-round financial situation was bleak. I was forced to sell off ancestral land to keep the ashram running. Things were really hard, but we did not want to make our dadis and babas lives hard in any way. We strived to make sure they were not affected by anything that was happening externally,” Shiv Prasad explains.

The ashram has become synonymous with love and compassion, that many elderly people recognise it as a retirement home, and voluntarily enrol themselves. Daily yoga and meditation sessions also attract many people to the organisation.


However, running the home/ashram comes with its own set of challenges, according to Shiv Prasad. “The major problem we face is that our infrastructure supports the residence of only 300 people, and therefore we are unable to take in new enrolees. We understand our limitations but we also cannot leave people outside to die of hunger and illness. We need to raise funds to expand our facilities. Same goes with the cow shelters. The fodder required for the cattle on a daily basis amounts to INR 80,000 and now it is being difficult to even feed them. We need funds to expand our old age as well as maintain our cow shelter,” he avers.