When 40-year-old Sivakumar’s dilapidated house at Selakunnu in Uppatty collapsed just two days before the Janata Curfew was enforced on March 22, the father of two, who works as a painter, feared that his family would be rendered homeless. However, hearing about his sad plight, a group of his friends started a WhatsApp group and managed to crowd-fund the construction of his new house in just 45 days.
Speaking to The Hindu, M. Sathish, a resident of Gudalur who works at a bank and who has been friends with Mr. Sivakumar since childhood, said that the latter has two children, one of whom is developmentally challenged.
“He makes just enough money to cover his son’s medical costs, so we knew that the family was struggling financially,” said Mr. Sathish. After the house collapsed, “I thought that I would be homeless, and would have to put up a tent on the land and stay there,” said Mr. Sivakumar.
Hearing that his house had been destroyed, Sivakumar’s friends, Mr. Sathish and D. Girish, established a WhatsApp group, where they appealed for funds from their friends and family all across India and those living abroad.
“Initially, we aimed to raise around ₹1 lakh to build a shed with a roof, but people who heard of Sivakumar’s story contributed more than what we initially aimed for, and we ended up raising ₹4 lakh in just a few days,” said Mr. Girish.
Within 45 days, a house with three rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom was completed, and Mr. Sivakumar moved in with his family on Saturday.
“I am so thankful to my friends and all the people who contributed to build the house. If not for them, we would probably all be on the street,” said Mr. Sivakumar.
