Mysuru: A frail aged woman seeking alms on the streets, has donated Rs 2.50 Lakh to a temple where she begs.
The 85-year-old M V Sitalakshmi has become a philanthropist in her own right. She has been seeking alms at the entrance of the Prasanna Anjaneya Swamy Temple for nearly a decade after she became weak and was unable to work.
Touched by the generosity and the compassion of the temple staff, who took care of her when she sat in front of the temple, she decided to contribute and pay them back by donating a cool Rs 2.50 Lakh to improve the amenities provided for the devotees thronging at the temple every year during the Hanuman Jayanthi.
During the Ganesha festival, she donated nearly Rs 30,000 to the temple and only a few days ago, she took the temple trust chairman to the bank and donated
Rs 2 Lakh. Her total contributions to the temple, so far, amount to Rs 2.5 Lakh.
Though she resides with her brother and his wife in Yadavagiri, Sitalakshmi wants to lead her life on her own and doesn’t want to depend on anyone else.
Speaking to NewsKarnataka, she said, “I had put all my collections, including the offerings from the devotees, into my bank account. To me, God is everything and that is why I decided to donate my money to the temple which has taken such good care of me”, adding how Rajeshwari, who works at the temple, helps her bathe once a week. She said that her only wish was for the temple to provide “prasadam” to the devotees every Hanuman Jayanthi.
Speaking about Sitalakshmi, Chairman of the temple trust, M Basavaraj said that she was different and begged for a different reason. “She would never pester the devotees to give her money. If they gave her money, she would humbly accept it. She is very generous when it comes to giving contributions to the temple.”
He added that she was felicitated by MLA Vasu, for her generosity, during a temple function. The temple has displayed her contribution for people to see, and after this people have started giving her more money. “We will use her money judiciously and take good care of her at the same time”, he said.
R Mariyappa, retired KSRTC employee said, “After hearing about her generosity, we were spellbound. She’s like God. Hats off to her.”
Kugeshan, Sitalakshmi’s brother, said, “We provide her with the best possible care. She had an accident a few years ago, for which we made sure she got the best treatment. She doesn’t like to stay at home. She goes to the temple in the morning and comes back in the evening.”
