2. History & Founder

Santhinikethanam was founded on 8th May 2006 by Ms. Razia Bhanu - a nurse in Vadakkanthara, Palakkad. Razia manages the home on a daily basis, staying with the ten elderly women who are the home's full-time residents.

Having been a caregiver to hundreds of patients since the age of 24, Razia had long nursed an inner voice that urged her to devote herself to one of the most vulnerable sections of society - elderly women deserted by their families, either unable or unwilling to look after them. After encountering several initial obstacles, her dream was finally realized in 2006, when Santhinikethanam - a home for destitute old women, was established under a trust.

Sister Razia Bhanu

Razia Bhanu comes from a middle-class family in Vadakkanthara, a small locality in Palakkad town. Razia's mother passed away when she was just three years old; she was subsequently raised by her father along with six other siblings. At the tender age of 15, despite her strongly expressed desire to study further, Razia was given in marriage. Personal tragedy struck 6 years later, when Razia's husband died of leukaemia. She was just 21 at the time.

Refusing to let herself brood, Razia decided to pursue her studies afresh. Armed with determination and perseverance, she completed a course in nursing and joined Devi Nursing Home in Vadakkanthara as a registered nurse. The proprietors of the nursing home, Dr. P.R. Narayanan and Dr. (Mrs.) Girija Narayanan have been her support and guiding force since.

Santhinikethanam began with taking in three inmates who had no children or immediate family to look after them. Razia rented a house to shelter them and stayed with them herself. As of 2010, the number of residents has gone up to ten - all, elderly women, entrusted to Razia's care by their distant relatives or social workers.

While Razia and the inmates presently stay in a rented house, the trust has recently purchased 9 cents** of land with the help of donations from charitable individuals and institutions, and has plans to construct its own residential home for the aged.

- By Dr. Girija Narayanan, Devi Nursing Home, Vadakkanthara, Palakkad


** A cent - the most common measure of land in Kerala - equals 1⁄100th of an acre (40.468 sq.m.)