In Rural Tamil Nadu, One Man Is Helping Women With Intellectual Disabilities Farm, Earn & Make Their Own Decisions

The sun is still soft over the fields in rural Tamil Nadu. Two young women walk barefoot across the soil, their hands busy, their conversation easy. One bends down to check a row of spinach, the other follows, gently brushing soil aside to see if the roots are strong.

They don’t rush or hesitate, as this is not therapy or supervision. This is ownership

A few metres away, a group gathers near a small shed — some preparing feed for chickens, others sorting vegetables for the day’s meals. There is laughter, there is routine, and above all, there is a quiet, steady dignity.

This is the Sristi Foundation — not just a place of care, but a community built on the belief that everyone deserves to live with purpose.

At the heart of it is a simple, powerful idea, as founder Karthikeyan Ganesan puts it:

“I strongly believe everyone is born with a purpose. Our role is to help them find it, not take it away.”

A journey that began with a question

Karthikeyan, a psychologist with over 15 years of experience working with children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, didn’t begin his journey by founding an organisation — it began with deep immersion.

At 17, he started volunteering at an orphanage in Pondicherry. What was meant to be a short experience turned into 12 years of living and working within that system. Over time, he took on more responsibility, eventually helping manage the space and the lives within it.

On the surface, the orphanage did everything it was meant to do: food, shelter, and medical care.

But as the children grew older, something began to shift.

Many developed behavioural challenges — aggression, restlessness, and emotional distress. The response was clinical: psychiatric consultations and heavy medication.

“They were in a sedative state, eating, taking medicine, and sleeping. That was their life. “Just imagine yourself in that position,” he says. “Not for a day, but for a lifetime.”

It was deeply unsettling.

That question stayed with him, and eventually, it pushed him to leave in 2010, with a determination to find the answers.

Learning from the world outside

For the next three years, Karthikeyan travelled across India, working with different organisations, volunteering in rural and urban spaces, and observing how people with intellectual disabilities were living.

Two experiences, in particular, shaped his thinking.

In rural Uttar Pradesh, he met families who had to travel over 10 kilometres just to access basic healthcare for their children with disabilities. It revealed a stark gap — most services existed in cities, while the need was often greatest in remote villages.

In Kerala, he encountered something entirely different — a young boy with Down syndrome, fully integrated into his community.

“He worked on farms, took care of animals, moved freely,” Karthikeyan says. “Nobody labelled him. They only saw what he could do.”

That contrast was powerful.

It made him realise that the problem wasn’t ability; it was environment.

The moment everything changed

Back after his travels, he decided to come back to the orphanage and decided to test a small idea.

He took a patch of land and began a simple activity: farming.

Among the children was a boy named Anbu. When Karthikeyan showed him a tiny seed and pointed to a large mango tree, explaining that both were connected, Anbu laughed in disbelief.

But they planted it anyway. Days later, when the first leaves emerged, Anbu ran to call him, overwhelmed with excitement. And months later, when the vegetables were ready, something remarkable happened.

The children carried their harvest to the kitchen and said:‘You don’t decide what to cook today. We grew this. We will decide.’

“That moment changed everything,” Karthikeyan says. “Until then, they were always receiving. That day, they were giving.”

With that shift came confidence, pride, and identity. “They were no longer ‘inmates’ or ‘beneficiaries’. They became gardeners,” he adds.

Building Sristi: A community, not an institution

In 2013, this vision took shape as the Sristi Foundation. Located in a remote village in Tamil Nadu, Sristi was deliberately built away from urban centres, closer to where the need was, and closer to nature.

Today, the Sristi Village is home to over 80 residents and supported by a team of 30 staff and volunteers, including vocational trainers, special educators, and psychologists.

But what makes it truly different is how life is designed.

Here, residents:

• Learn skills like farming, bakery, dairy, and housekeeping

• Contribute to daily operations

• Earn incomes and build financial independence

• Transition into jobs and, in some cases, independent living

The goal is not lifelong dependency, but autonomy.

“Anyone who wants dignity must play a valid role in society,” Karthikeyan explains.
“And that opportunity is what has always been missing.”

The urgent need: A safe home for women

As Sristi grew, a new and urgent reality emerged. More and more women with intellectual disabilities began arriving, many abandoned, some orphaned, and others referred by hospitals and authorities.

One story stayed with him. A mother, worried about her two children, had written in her diary:

If something happens to us, please take them to Sristi.

When both parents passed away, that note brought them here.

“That level of trust is not small,” he says quietly.

But with increasing numbers came a challenge, both practical and legal.Government regulations require separate living spaces for men and women. And beyond policy, the risks faced by women are far greater.

“Women with intellectual disabilities face multiple layers of vulnerability,” Karthikeyan explains. “Abandonment, abuse, and isolation.”

Currently, 20 women between the ages of 18 and 35 live in a rented space – cramped, with limited facilities, and no room to accommodate more.

“We have a waiting list,” he says. “But we simply don’t have the space,” he adds.

More than a shelter, a second chance at life

To address this, Sristi has launched a campaign to build a dedicated home for 50 women with intellectual disabilities. But this is not a conventional shelter.

It is envisioned as a self-sustaining, open, and empowering community.

Here, women will:

• Live in safe, spacious surroundings

• Learn vocational skills based on their interests

• Work, earn, and build independence

• Grow food and live in close connection with nature

• Build relationships, routines, and a sense of belonging

“It is not just building a home,” Karthikeyan says. “It is building their dignity, their independence, and their future.”

How you can help build this home

To bring this vision to life, the campaign will remain active until 17th February 2028, with the foundation breaking down the cost into a model that is both tangible and inclusive.

Each square foot of construction costs approximately Rs 2,000 – Rs 2,500.

Which means:

• Your contribution can directly build a part of this home

• Around 10,000 people contributing one square foot each can complete the project

• Every donor receives a tax-exempt receipt

This isn’t about large donations alone, but about collective action. This, Karthikeyan explains, will be a wall built by many hands and a home built by shared intent. 

You can contributehere:

Bank details

Name of the account: Sristi Foundation

Account Number: 100056920368

IFSC: ESFB0001005

Bank: Equitas

Branch: Pondicherry

The choice before us

Back in the fields, the two women finish their work for the morning. One carries the basket, the other closes the gate behind them. At this place, there is life which is lived fully not limited by labels. 

Somewhere else, there are many more women still waiting for this chance.

And perhaps that is where this story turns to us, because building this home is not just about Sristi. It is about the kind of world we choose to participate in.

“When you help someone move from receiving to giving, you don’t just change their life but restore their dignity,” he says.

And maybe, in doing that, we restore a part of our own humanity too.

All images courtesy Karthikeyan

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thebetterindia.com