'Alilu seve': Women lend a helping hand

The weather outside remains overcast, but the mood inside the hall at the Mahila Sabha in Mangaluru’s Balmatta remains upbeat. Members of Alilugalu, a women’s group, are seated in a semicircle. They begin their monthly meeting with each member contributing Rs 1,000 to a common fund. The members carefully scrutinise a large pile of applications seeking financial help from Alilugalu. 

The collective disbursed its year’s collection amounting to Rs 2.25 lakh to 25 beneficiaries, many of them women, a few weeks ago. 

“Alilugalu’s financial help of Rs 10,000 was a godsend,” says Pushpa, one of the beneficiaries who needed money to buy medicines for her 20-year-old daughter who has thalassemia.

Others who have benefitted from Alilugalu’s common fund include patients undergoing dialysis, patients being treated for oral cancer, nerve disorders, snake bites and other medical conditions. “A huge portion of the common fund is utilised to help people struggling to pay medical bills,” says Roopa S Alva, a member of Alilugalu.

Alilugalu is a group of 15 like-minded women above 55 years and below 74 years. The group evolved from social gatherings hosted every month by a group of 15 women. The parties had been a social outlet among friends, mainly to deal with the loss of loved ones. 

In 2019, upon reading about the outpouring of aid for flood victims in Belthangady in the newspapers, the members were motivated to help others. “A monthly contribution of Rs 500 was fixed in order to not burden members,” says Roopa.

As applications seeking financial help began to pour in, the group responded by increasing the monthly contribution to Rs 1,000. In the first year of its launch, Alilugalu had raised a common fund to the tune of Rs 1.75 lakh. 

The common fund is usually disbursed at an annual programme. “But sometimes we do not wait for the programme and disburse money to beneficiaries on the spot,” says Anupama Shenoy, a member of Alilugalu.

Roopa explains that they organise this programme with the objective of motivating others. At the event, the group also felicitates unsung heroes contributing to society in their own manner. 

This year, the head of Sacharipete post office, Mohini Hegde; pourakarmika Bhagi; food donor Nandini Raghuchandra; scrap-shop-owner-turned-librarian Ismail Kanathur; Satish Suvarna, a salon owner and environmentalist Jeeth Milan Roche were felicitated during the annual programme organised at Mahila Samaj. 

Working together

The ‘alilu seve’ (service of the squirrels) in the Ramayana inspired the members to name their association Alilugalu. The idea is that one individual may not be able to achieve much on their own, but working together enables them to support a greater cause. 

Anirudh Charitable Trust Managing Trustee N G Mohan recounts the tale: Squirrels keen on helping Rama in building a bridge to Sri Lanka rolled on the sand and shook off tiny grains of sand from their fur. These grains helped bind the boulders together, making the structure super strong.

Vitobha, a civil engineer and supporter of Alilugalu, says that the group is different as it has no president or secretary. “Most of the money donated to the needy is from the earnings or savings of these members,” he adds. 

Social worker Sheena Shetty says the initiative is helping elderly citizens to serve society in order to make others happy and also realise their own happiness. 

Alilugalu does not have a bank account. Mohan says he discovered this fact while issuing a cheque of Rs 10,000 to the group. 

“While refusing to accept the cheque, Alilugalu promised to recommend a needy person in need of financial assistance,” he recollects. 

The group is also unregistered so it can be disbanded if required. Alilugalu’s next goal is to form a motivated band of 'young Alilugalu’, Roopa adds with a smile.