This Couple Opened Their Doors To One Elderly Pair, Now More Than 50 Seniors Live There

Denalai Tea Estate House, a small settlement in the Nilgari Hills of Tamil Nadu near Coonoor, has become an unusual sanctuary for elderly individuals left without a home. The facility was founded by Mr. and Mrs. N. Ramamurthi when they decided to take in an elderly couple that was supposedly abandoned by their children.

Today, years later, the shelter houses several dozen seniors who had no place else to live.

The history of this shelter dates back almost twenty years.

Back then, Mr. Ramamurthi was employed in the leprosy management division of the Tamil Nadu Health Department. He discovered an elderly couple affected by leprosy who had been deserted by their relatives. Instead of rejecting them, he took them home. Although his wife had her reservations

about the disease, Mrs. Ramamurthi embraced them.

Not long thereafter, more elderly individuals started coming to their home.

The news that the couple was ready to provide shelter to homeless senior citizens for free reached nearby regions. Ramamurthi allegedly received many calls regarding elderly people who were abandoned without food, shelter, or healthcare services. These senior citizens had either been abandoned by family members or became helpless due to poverty and illness.

The couple then started to use an old house available on their tea estate as a permanent shelter for homeless senior citizens.

In 2005, the couple officially formed the MN Trust, which was named after Ramamurthi’s parents, with Rajeswari as the managing trustee. The couple allegedly used most of Ramamurthi’s salary and tea estate earnings to take care of the residents.

With time, the shelter continued to grow.

Today, more than 50 senior citizens live in the shelter, including a few above the age of 90. Male and female sections have been separated along with separate bathrooms, beds, and medical facilities. Residents are offered free food, clothes, medications, and other services.

Careful planning takes place within the walls of the shelter. There are schedules posted for meals, and tea, snacks, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided at regular times of the day. There is hot water provided by the solar heating system, and drinking water is filtered. Medical personnel are always available, but trips to local health centers are organized as needed.

Another feature of the shelter was its emotional care system. Residents come together in common spaces, organize parties, and attend social events. This creates a social anchor for the lonely elderly.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the shelter ran vaccination campaigns and preventive measures to protect residents from the virus. The shelter operated as usual even during the lockdown periods.

Several years after Denalai opened its doors, the shelter remains one of the best community care projects in the Nilgiris district.

What was once only one abandoned couple became a home that gave dozens of overlooked seniors a safe and comfortable environment.