Runaway kid turned bizman helps children

MUMBAI: Subramaniam Hariharan is arguably the only man in Mumbai who stops and talks to street-children who seem lost and then helps them find the families they

MUMBAI: Subramaniam Hariharan is arguably the only man in Mumbai who stops and talks to street-children who seem lost and then helps them find the families they left behind. Born in Palakkad in Kerala, 50-year-old Hariharan runs a call centre.

HT Image

A runaway child himself, he sees himself in the children wandering on railway stations, sleeping in isolated corners and working at shops to afford their next meal. Today, he works with an NGO, Samatol Foundation, to ensure other Hariharans find their way home.

“We find an average of five boys at railway stations in and around Mumbai daily. We estimate 20 come to the city daily and 15 slip away,” said Hariharan, speaking to HT from his Dadar office.

The founder of the NGO, Vijay Jadhav ,and Hariharan share a common dream, “We want to reach a stage where if a person looks at a street child, he doesn’t walk away, but walks towards the child to help.”

“These children should not be ignored. One week of love and affection for a child will inspire him in an unimaginable way. He will do something meaningful with his life,” said Hariharan.