Beyond economic barriers, this social worker from Vizag renders selfless service

A famous Telugu quote says, “service to mankind is service to god.” Following the same principle, social worker K Santosh Kumar, an employee at Naval Dockyard, Vizag, has been rendering selfless services to the underprivileged for the past 7 years. Speaking to Yo! Vizag, the dedicated social worker shares his story of how he has been working closely with several orphanages in the city since 2015. Starting with giving food to the homeless people on the roads, he is now a proud holder of four awards, given in recognition of his service.

Recollecting his journey as a social worker from 2015, he said, “I was moved by the abysmal state of the people sleeping on the roads, without any food or proper clothes. This started a fire in me to help them in any way I could”. Since then, he made a habit of spending at least 30 per cent of his monthly income on many orphanages and old age homes. Santosh says that he has never sought monetary aid from anyone and has managed to continue his service over the years independently.

A graduate of Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Kancharapalem, the 27-year-old social worker has been working at the Vizag Naval Dockyard

since 2017 on a contract basis. He currently receives a monthly salary of Rs.12,000, out of which he generously contributes a major part. His income goes into providing food, fruits, groceries, and other needs to many orphans. Additionally, he hires barbers to get haircuts done for the homeless. Santosh also regularly takes part in blood donation campaigns across the city.

“My father passed away in 2005 and I lost my mother to cancer. She was always supportive of my charity works and we used to live off her vegetable business until she passed away in June 2020. My uncle often helps me voluntarily in organising my services and I seek him for any help in my personal life”, said Santosh. Speaking about his awards and the recognition, he mentioned that he received his first award in 2021 when he applied for the Champion of Charity by the Champions Book of World Records. Later in the same year, Santosh has been recognised by the Indian Book of Awards, which was conferred to him by a Supreme Court advocate. He was also recognised by the British World Records and the Royal Success International Book of Records in 2021.

Setting an example through his selfless charity, Santosh wishes to continue his work unconditionally.