During the Cyclone Arnab relief programme, our entire team spent few hours in Yanam, Puducherry UT. We came to serve, but 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱.

𝗛𝗼𝗻'𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗿𝗶 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗶 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗻𝗮 𝗥𝗮𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘂 has represented Yanam since 1996 and was 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘅𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲. Today he serves the Government of Puducherry as 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀, 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 & 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀. Earlier, he served as Revenue Minister and as Health Minister of the Union Territory. What moved us most was his service beyond imagination. He founded and continues to guide the 𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗺 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗔𝗴𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗺 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗺 𝗘𝘆𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗮 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗡𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲, along with the Yanam People's Voluntary Service Organisation. These institutions care for the elderly, the orphaned and the sick, and they have quietly served Yanam for decades. We saw that commitment at work during our distribution. 𝗛𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, from identifying the most affected colonies to organising orderly hand-overs, so that 2,680 families received their kits with dignity. Even now he is pressing ahead with 𝗮 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲-𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝟲,𝟯𝟬𝟬 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 to make Yanam safer and stronger.

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗺 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺: a leader who knows his people, institutions that care for the most vulnerable, and a community that comes together in times of crisis.

At the end of the programme, 𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, a gesture of grace and humility we will always treasure. Our heartfelt gratitude to Sri Malladi Krishna Rao garu for his guidance and kindness, and to the people of Yanam for their warmth.