In 2010, a man from the temple town of Madurai was selected as one of the top 10 ‘heroes’ of the year by American news channel CNN. Narayanan Krishnan was indeed a hero, in the real sense of the word. A chef-turned-social activist, Krishnan’s story had inspired many.
It all started when he saw an old man eating his own human waste. He went to a nearby hotel and bought food for the man. Krishnan later described the experience: “I had never seen a person eating so fast, ever. As he ate the food, his eyes were filled with tears. Those were the tears of happiness.”
He had realized the cause of his life and he gave up a good job offer in Switzerland to feed the hungry, the homeless and the destitute. Krishnan founded his non-profit Akshaya Trust in 2003. In May 2013, he started the ‘Akshaya Home’ for the helpless. Four years later, in 2014, the same person who had gained a messiah-like status, is mired in controversy, and a pretty deep one at that.
