From shelter home to Ireland: Chaitanya, the self-made woman is all set for her big day
Orphaned and neglected, Chaitanya found refuge at Gandhibhavan, enabling her nursing career in Ireland. She returns there to marry, celebrating her rescue and new life with the institution's leaders as her true parents.
Orphaned and neglected, Chaitanya found refuge at Gandhibhavan, enabling her nursing career in Ireland. She returns there to marry, celebrating her rescue and new life with the institution's leaders as her true parents.
Orphaned and neglected, Chaitanya found refuge at Gandhibhavan, enabling her nursing career in Ireland. She returns there to marry, celebrating her rescue and new life with the institution's leaders as her true parents.
Chaitanya has no memory of her parents. Her earliest recollections are of a makeshift plastic-sheet shelter and a childhood marred by neglect and hardship. Yet today, she stands tall as a successful nursing professional working in Ireland, returning to the very home that rescued her to celebrate the happiest day of her life.
Growing up in Alappuzha, Chaitanya and her two sisters faced immense adversity. Bereft of parental love and support, they survived on the meagre earnings they made by working at the houses of relatives. However, a sudden eviction by a distant relative left the three girls completely stranded on the streets, with nowhere to go.
A life-saving intervention
Seeing their plight, teachers and counsellors from SDV School in Alappuzha, alongside local representatives and social workers, stepped in. They arranged for the three sisters to be taken in by Gandhibhavan, a renowned socio-charitable institution in Pathanapuram. It was here that Chaitanya and her sisters finally found a safe haven, allowing them to resume their disrupted education and rebuild their lives.
The shelter home proved to be a launching pad for all three sisters. The eldest completed a special school training course, while the second sister cleared general nursing. Both were married off under the guardianship of Gandhibhavan. Chaitanya, determined to dream big, completed her General Nursing course, followed by a Post Basic BSc Nursing degree with top marks.
From Kollam to Ireland
After a successful stint as a lecturer at Upasana College of Nursing in Kollam, Chaitanya secured a coveted nursing job in Ireland. Despite her global journey and professional success, her heart remained rooted in the home that nurtured her.
Chaitanya is now set to marry Akhil S Kamal, a resident of Kamal Nivas in Aadumankad, Parassala, Thiruvananthapuram. The wedding will take place at 11 am on Monday at Gandhibhavan. Though she grew up without her biological parents, Chaitanya holds no resentment, stating that Gandhibhavan secretary Punalur Somarajan and his wife Prasanna Rajan are the only parents she has ever truly known.