13-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
The blue wall of kindness
COIMBATORE: The 'wall of kindness' (anbu suvar) was painted blue. It has bright orange cupboards that hardly remain empty. The phrase 'People's wall' was written in bold type, followed by a Thirukkural couplet and call-to-action phrases spreading awareness on child rights, education, and the environment. An honour system is followed, where people leave clothes, books, and other essential items for anyone in need to take – no questions asked.
The Anbu Suvar — established in Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and Komarapalayam by the 'Ini Oru Vidhi Seivom' trust — stands as a physical embodiment of the link connecting the philanthropic and the beneficiaries. Kavitha Jenarthanan, founder and director of the trust, said, 'The real reward is the smile on a child's face or a thank-you from a mother.'
Like the walls of kindness she helped build, the journey of the woman behind the initiative resonates the same generosity, loud and bold. 'My parents taught me that helping others should not be an afterthought,' said Kavitha, a Coimbatore native settled in Tiruppur. Despite majoring in economics, Kavitha reshaped her career and identity towards social service, and at 42, she is now a counsellor, a motivational speaker, and an advocate for child and women's rights.
Deriving from the experiences she had gained from being an Air Wing NCC cadet and later a Rotaract Club member, Kavitha, 12 years ago, founded the group — Feed the Homeless and Hungry — that provided meals to homeless people. In two years, the group distributed over five lakh food packets. As an extension, they installed the first food bank refrigerators in Tiruppur, and amplified their range by reaching out to hospitals and care homes.
