THE RAIN GOD COMES TO THE UNIVERSE FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE GOOD MEN ON EARTH - DO YOU KNOW THENNUR, PAYIR AND HERO SENTHIL

This has been circulating over e mails and well reported in some magazines. Though do not have a first hand information, got this from trusted sources and is certainly worth circulating. Have slightly modified the contents from some of the mails received. This is all about a single individual and the Organiation that he has so thoughtfully made for the Society. He is every sense a real ascetic who has realized himself and is living for others as enunciated by Thiruvalluvar.

This man hails from a nondescript village known (!) as Thennur near Trichy in Tamilnadu. At a time, when youth in Metros flaunt BMWs and other SUVs and flaunt their richness in every single act of theirs, one cannot imagine there is a real hero who lives the role of ‘the Rajni starrer - Shivaji, the Boss”. Before we read something about him, here is some about his Project “Payir” which believes in the fundamental right of every child to education. The project aims to provide quality primary education to all children and focuses on non formal education and intervention programme.
People of Thennur village have their own version of Mahatma and Shivaji – their hero Senthil – had a dream and has chosen to live by it. Like many other Indians, he studied and went to US and earned Rs.2 lakhs per month. But that was more than 5 years ago. He had a vision right from school days - to serve his village. What ordinary mortals would not dare to do – he did. Resigned his job and came back to his village to start a NGO and started supporting the village. He did this at an young age of 36.
Our Illam Gandhi invested his hard earned 40 lakhs in Thennur to build a community health centre and informal learning centre, and today ‘Payir’ is yielding fruits. This is the palace he provided to his village.

The community health center:

Now, he has appointed 5 people who are locals and who function as his staff. They teach proper English to the schools available in their locality. And that was not enough. He created a small IT Company within that village, employing four persons who all graduated from this village. They even flaunt a US client and work for a US project. Amenities he could not provide ; certainly not the luxuries that the modern day youth possess :

A responsible son, he had sent some money for his parents and his mother now lives happily in own house at the temple town of Srirangam. He has renunciated all luxuries and is living an ascetic life in a small tenement in the village itself. Here is the room of the young entrepreneur :

His concept of live - “Payir trust provides me with daily food. My trustees have agreed on this. I have built a hut for myself using my past earnings. So shelter is not a problem. I have 3sets of shirts and Vesti(Dhoti) which I can use for the next 2 years. My friends will get me a few dresses once or twice in a year. What more do I need in my life??”.
Being an Insurer the natural thinking was – how he would manage his old age wrought with ailments. He coolly states that he will go a Govt. hospital where treatment is free of cost.
We adore heroes of tinseldom. We try to re do every single action of theirs. People like me spend hours of life on watching and talking about cricket. All of us have dreams to earn lots of money and stash it for posterity.
This person is daringly different. This man believes that there is only one life and within that one needs to achieve what ever one can. his 11th std!. Senthil – The real hero! Has stated that he nurtured this dream right from his school days. Remember the movie – the hero coming back to village, starting Educational Institutions, Hospitals and what not. In real life, this hero has achieved.

People focussing on personal growth, not worrying about the Nation is the curse. Perhaps it still rains only because there are people like Senthil around.
With regards
S Sampathkumar.