Operation Shanti - Our People


Our Kids (presented in the order we met them. * = further links. green = at Karunya Mane)

Pallavi*	Vishnu	Sumitra ("Chumi")*	Prema*
She and brother Vishnu were the first street kids we met. Tomboyish, adorable, and quite huggable. Now at Karunya Mane and attending a nearby private school. Born March 10, 2001.	Just a three-month old when we met him and mom Sushila. Mischievous little one with the biggest sweet tooth. Started tiny tots school this year and is staying at Karunya Mane. Born August 15, 2005.	Staying with us at Karunya Mane and attending a nearby private school. Family includes brother Venkatesh, sister Prema, brother Mohan, mom Kumari, grannie Rachamma. Born May 14, 2000.	Smart and sensitive, but often neglected by her mom as the middle female child. A really good girl. Now stays us at Karunya Mane and attends a nearby private school. Born February 12, 1998.

Venkatesh	Latta*	Asha*	Nanjunda (Big Goonda)*
Good kid who likes to protect the smaller ones, and truly Mom's boy. At Karunya Mane and attending a nearby private school. Born October 20, 1996.	Staying with us at Karunya Mane and attending a nearby private school. Family is sister Jyothi, mom Lakshmi, dad Lakshman, grannie Rachamma. Loves to hug. Born April 5, 2001.	Now with us at Karunya Mane after a rough life on the street and with relatives. Orphaned in 2006 when her mom died. Attends a nearby private school. Smart and resourceful. Born February 24, 1993.	Featured in the film Goonda. Bright, ambitious and a leader of the pack. At Karunya Mane and attending nearby private school. Born April 6, 1995.

Darshan	Jyothi	Nanjunda (Little Goonda)	Rajesh
Had spent most of his life battling health issues, and is fInally getting better. Loves to tease and be teased. Family includes brother Umesh, mom Kavitha, dad Rudra. Born April 27, 2005.	The little princess. Born malnourished and underweight, she's now a chubby and very happy, well-behaved sweetheart of a little girl. Born June 18, 2005.	Completely lovable, shy yet outgoing at the same time. Wears his emotions on his sleeve. Stays at Karunya Mane and attends a nearby private school. Born September 1, 2004.	Rajesh's parents died when he was a baby and he was raised by his grandmother, Kaveriamma, on the street.

Ganesha	Manikanta	Raguvendra	Antony
Grew up in a children's shelter then spent a year on the street at age 11, selling tea after mom pulled him out. We cleaned her up, helped her find work, and then she put Ganesha back at the shelter, where he is today attending school, and wants to study to be an engineer.	We've known Manikanta for two years now. He often runs away from home after his mom beats him for not bringing home money. Often stays with Nanjunda's mom and his friend Raguvendra. Currently at Karunya Mane, we are trying to get him into school.	Friends with Manikanta, Nanjunda, and Antony, often shows up on the street when dad goes to work elsewhere, leaving his son behind to fend for himself. Smart and polite boy needing support and guidance. Never been to school.	Beautiful, polite boy with an equally beautiful smile, and a dad who wanders from job to job, taking his son with him. We haven't seen Antony in since mid-2007, and got to know him when he was in Mysore, where he lived on the streets for about a year.

Devaraj	Harish	Baby Darshan	Saumya
Sweet little Devaraj, shy until he gets to know you. Lost his dad several years ago. Lived on the street with his mom for years. Staying at Karunya Mane with brother Harish and attending private school nearby. Born January 3, 2001.	One of our more serious boys, often with a pensive look on his face. Lived on the street for years with mom and brother Devaraj. Swept floors at a local store for money to buy food. Staying at Karunya Mane to continue his education. Born August 29, 1997.	Little brother of Saumya and Surya. Healthy and happy, and almost walking. Mom begs while her children play on the street. Dad leaves his family for months on end, and mom tries her best to take care of her little ones when he's gone.	Saumya, along with brothers Surya and Darshan, spend the day on the street while mom begs for a living, then goes home in the evening. We're trying her out at Karunya Mane and sending her to tiny tots school, and hope mom lets her stay with us. Born June 1, 2005.

Surya	Apu	Kaleem	Imran
Surya watches over his sister and brother while mom begs on the street. Smart and happy boy, ready to go to school and is staying at Karunya Mane. Born March 5, 2003.	Apu and his sister lived on and off the street with their mom and dad. Apu, four years old in 2007, is an adorable, happy boy who loves hugs. With difficult parents, helping Apu is sometimes challenging.	The last of twelve kids, Kaleem lived on the street with his grandma, mom and dad, and niece (Parveen) and nephew (Imran). A very polite boy, Kaleem is at Karunya Mane, continuing his education. Born May 6, 1998.	Little Imran has grown from a skinny nine-month-old when we met him into a healthy little boy, now developing his own feisty personality. Stays with mom and grandma in their house, after having lived on the street since a baby. Born January 2007.

Parveen	Leem	Mohan	Sreenevasa
Imran's older sister, Parveen is starting tiny tots school and is staying at Karunya Mane. Grandma wants her at the shelter because Parveen often wanders away while she is working selling vegetables on the street. Born February 2, 2004.	We don't see Leem very often. He is friends with the other street boys and comes by when he's hungry or has a cut or scrape that need attending. Pleasant and shy boy who follows his friends wherever they go.	The littlest brother of Venkatesh, Prema, and Chumi, little Mohan is an outgoing, independent, bold boy with lots of love to share with everyone around him. Valentine's Day baby, born February 14, 2006.	Orphaned last year when his mom died, Sreenevasa has lived on the street with his brother Krishna for years, selling pens and Qtips to earn enough money for food. Sreenevasa, a happy, mild-mannered boy, is at Karunya Mane to continue his education and wants to learn computers.

Lokesh	Amita ("Amu")	Pooja	Sharath
Attended boarding school last year and is at Karunya Mane to continue his education. Mother is a street vendor. Likes hanging out with his friends Venkatesh and Nanjunda, and is quite good at math. Born September 23, 1994.	Lokesh's younger sister, wants to live at Karunya Mane, but her parents won't allow her to--we suspect it's because she helps mom with household chores, as is often the case for girls like Amu. Attends the nearby government school where mom works, and is a good student. Born November 23, 1996.	Pooja, brother Sharath, and sister Shwetha attended boarding school last year. Mom works hard to provide for them, but gets little help from her husband, who often beats her and steals any money they have. Pooja is a sweet, kind girl who studies hard in school. She is continuing her education with us at Karunya Mane. Born October 13, 1999.	Currently at Karunya Mane where he'll continue his education at a nearby private school. Sharath dearly loves mom, and is often sad when she leaves after a visit. Born April 10, 1998.

Shwetha	Raju	Umesh	Surya
Shwetha is Pooja and Sharath's little sister and stays with us at Karunya Mane, along with the other little girls she befriended in boarding school last year--Pallavi, Chumi and Latta. Shwetha loves to drink Pepsi and eat biscuits! Born March 15, 2002.	Raju's mom begs for a living, and we see this little one every so often, when they need a meal or when they get sick. Mom doesn't want Raju to leave her side and takes him everywhere she goes while she is begging. We hope she someday changes her mind and lets Raju stay at Karunya Mane.	Umesh is our little sumo wrestler, born a hefty 7 pounds and has maintained quite a chubby and healthy appearance since. Very happy and loving little boy. Mom takes very good care of Umesh and his brother Darshan. Born June 14, 2007.	Featured in the film Goonda, Surya ran away from home but won't talk about why. He lives on the streets of Mysore and we see him occasionally, when he comes by for food or just to say hi. Sensitive and mature for his age.

Sadik	Nagraj	Jamaka	Lakshmi
We met Sadik in early 2007, and see him occasionally. He lives on the streets with his friend Nagraj, after his parents kicked him out of the house. Sadik gathers papers and cardboard to sell for food. Very polite and well-mannered boy.	We met Nagraj with Sadik in early 2007. Nagraj stays at night near the bus stand (good foot traffic for begging) and collects paper and rags for a living. We don't see much of Nagraj anymore but continue to watch for him and his friends.	Jamaka and her friends Lakshmi, Ushanama, and Aish lives in a slum area and come to the street almost daily to beg for money, which they take home to their parents. Jamaka is the quiet one of the group.	Lakshmi comes to the street with her friends to beg everyday. They do not attend school, as their parents force them to earn money instead. Lakshmi is quite outgoing and very friendly.

Aish	Ushanama	Sinchana	Arvinda
Aish is an outgoing, friendly girl, probably around age 10, who begs for her parents on the street. She lives in a slum area with her other friends who also beg with her on the street.	Ushanama is very quiet and shy, and well-behaved. She hangs out with her friends Aish, Lakshmi, and Jamaka almost daily on the streets of Mysore. They earn about 30 rupees each while begging.	Feisty and very independent, Sinchana is Reeta's little girl. They stay with us at Karunya Mane, and Sinchana will start school this year. Born March 5, 2005.	Arvind lived on the streets with his brother Anand and their mom Banupriya during the past year, as mom could not afford her rent. Arvind is a little quieter than Anand. Arvind starts school this year, and stays with us at Karunya Mane. Born April 15, 2003.

Ananda	Shanti	Divya
Anand lived on the streets with his brother Arvind and their mom Banupriya during the past year, as mom could not afford her rent. Anand is slightly older and bolder, and not as shy as his little brother. Anand starts school this year and stays with us at Karunya Mane. Born January 25, 2002.	Shanti was recommended by Vishnu's and Pallavi's mom, who is neighbers with her and her mom in their slum area. Shanti's mom is alone, as her husband left her a long time ago. She works cleaning pots and pans at a small restaurant. Shanti is with us at Karunya Mane, and is attending the nearby school. Born May 10, 1998.	Divya's dad heard about our street program and brought her one day to meet us. Her mom died a long time ago, and it's just her and dad. They rented a house a year ago, but hard times caused them to lose it, and they've been sleeping on the streets since. Divya attended school last year, and at Karunya Mane she now has a chance to continue her education. Born January 21, 2002.


Our Women and Elderly

Sushila	Kumari	Lakshmi	Kavitha

Rachamma	Kaveriamma	Jayama	Padma

Raji	Mahadevi	Kavitha	Fatima

Girija	Venkatesh (Tata)	Tata	Lucchi

Reeta	Baby	Nilamma