In a rare incident an old woman beggar from Phulbani of Odisha recently donated Rs 1 lakh to a temple in the Kandhamal district of Odisha. According to her, God has given all the things to us. Hence, she just returned back a part of whatever God had given her.
While the beggar has earned appreciation for this noble work, by this she has set an example. With her this act she has conveyed that even a beggar can do something for which she can be inspiration for others.
Meet Tula Behera. As per reports two days back the said old woman beggar donated Rs 1 lakh to the temple managing committee of the Lord Jagannath temple in Phulbani. This was the savings from her whole life that she had earned through begging.
She could have spent it to make a house for herself or could have spent on jewellery or could have given it to her adopted daughter. Yet, she wanted to donate it to the God, in front of whose temple she has been sitting since long years for begging.
The old woman sets out from home every morning with a pot to beg and an umbrella to get rid of sunlight or rain and goes to the temple. She begs in front of the temple till the ‘pahada’ of the God. Again in the evening she begs. Mostly she begs in front of the Lord Jagannath temple in Phulbani. Sometimes she begs in the market also by visiting shop to shop.
Someone asked her why she donated the money, rather she could have made a house out of it. She replied that when the house of the God (temple) needs mending why not she spends money for that. It is to be noted that she donated the money for repairing of the temple.
By donating the money the old woman did a great thing. As she had got this money through begging, now after she donated it to the temple, the people who had given her the money (in lieu of begging) now earned virtue of donating to the temple. So, there money was utilised at a right place. Besides, she also conveyed a message that if your requirement is less, you can help out others even if you are a beggar.
Tula lives in a wretched hut that has walls of asbestos and a tin roof near the OSRTC drain in Phulbani. Her belongings include a few clothes, a rope netted cot and a plastic bucket. She begs in front of the Lord Shiva temple on Monday and Saturday, on Thursday in front of the Siridi Sai temple and rest of the days in front of the Lord Jagannath temple. Whatever she gets from the temple as ‘Annaprasad’ she eats it.
Tula Behera originally belongs to Cuttack. She moved to Phulbani after her marriage. However, after getting separated from her husband, she is living in Phulbani for the last 40 years. She has an adopted daughter. Her name is Priya Mahakud. She works as a peon. However, Tula prefers to live with whatever she gets from begging rather than asking money from her adopted daughter.
Even after such a big donation, she has not changed her profession. She is still begging in front of the temple. She has been felicitated with a cloth that had been offered to Lord Jagannath at the said temple.
Report: Ajit Maharana, Phulbani
Kalinga AI