In the quiet lanes of Fertiliser Township, Rourkela, a group of women is taking on one of India’s most unseen humanitarian crises. The abandonment of the elderly, mentally ill and vulnerable. Homemaker Anupama Harichandan has shown kindness that has inspired everyday neighbours to step up and become first responders.

Since April 2024, their volunteer group, Nari Shakti Jana Kalyan Seva Samiti, has rescued 11 people from the streets and provided them with food, basic medical attention and a safe place to rest. None of these women are trained social workers. They are wives, mothers and daughters who chose not to look away when someone needed help.

For Harichandan, this mission didn’t begin with the NGO’s registration in March 2025. For nearly a decade, she and her husband,an ambulance driver at the local government hospital, have been quietly helping the homeless in Rourkela. Often, when shelters were full, they welcomed strangers into their own home.

Their work stands out in the face of a staggering national reality. The 2011 census recorded 1.77 million homeless people in India, but experts believe the actual number exceeds 3 million. A survey across three revenue divisions found over 13,000 homeless in urban areas alone, the majority being permanent residents of the streets.

In Odisha, there are only 43 government-run Shelters for Urban Homeless, with a total capacity of 2,112 beds, enough for barely 15% of the state’s identified homeless. Against this backdrop, each grassroots initiative matters.

The incident in Ayodhya really put the spotlight on the gaps in our elder care system. An elderly woman from Gonda was left by her own relatives on the roadside, wrapped in nothing but a bedsheet. She spent the entire night there, completely unattended until someone passing by finally called for assistance. By the time she reached the hospital, her condition was critical and unfortunately, she didn’t survive. The entire episode was captured on CCTV and quickly went viral, sparking widespread outrage. It’s a harsh reminder that our current social support structures just aren’t doing enough for our senior citizens. This case highlights an urgent need for better frameworks and accountability in elder care.

For Harichandan, the people she rescues are often battling multiple challenges including and not limited to mental illness, disability, poverty and abandonment. “Most of them have some form of mental disability,” she says. “The last thing we fear is harm or theft. Once they get shelter, food, and a little rest, they often start talking sometimes for the first time in days.” What began as a personal act of kindness has grown into a 33-member network of women, all residents of Fertiliser Township. “It started when women in the neighbourhood saw what we were doing. They began helping by bringing food, offering transport and lending their time. Slowly, they started coming with us on rescues,” Harichandan recalls.

But their vision doesn’t stop there. The women are pushing to establish a dedicated shelter in Rourkela, a place where the rescued can find safety, care, and dignity for more than just a night. “We’ve written to our local MLA about it,” Harichandan says with quiet determination. The people they help are not just statistics. According to a 2019 study by the Indo-Global Social Service Society, 80% of India’s homeless belong to marginalised castes. Nearly half live within walking distance of a health centre, yet still can’t access care. Many are too frail, too poor or isolated to seek help.

With winter around the corner and existing shelters already stretched beyond capacity, the role of Harichandan’s all-women rescue team will be more vital than ever. Their work is a reminder that you don’t need official titles or funding to change lives, you just need the will to act when others turn away. In Rourkela, that will is strong. And it is quietly rewriting what community care looks like.

Each member now contributes a small monthly amount, pooling together around ₹15,000 to cover food, medical expenses, and other needs. Local philanthropist Chandra Deep Sahu has also stepped in to support their work. Thanks to this, the group distributes 30 meals every day across four slum communities in the area.