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| Hermann Gmeiner, Kutin, J N Kaul, Indira Gandhi (from left to right) 1960s |
A sturdy voice of needy children in India had fallen silent
forever five years ago on December 16, 2008. Shri Jagan Nath Kaul, Papaji for hundreds of
children left for heavenly abode. He was the founder member and Patron for Life of SOS Children’s Villages of India. He worked a lot for the
cause of displaced Kashmiri Pandits.
J.N. Kaul dedicated his life for the sake of children and
started a movement when he established the first SOS Children’s Village at
Greenfield in Faridabad in 1964 with the active support of the then prime
minister Indira Gandhi. Dr. Hermann Gmeiner, his friend and founder of
SOS-Kinderdorf International, carried a unique childcare concept along with him
when he was visiting India in 1963. J N Kaul found the long-term support idea
wonderful and put this before the friends and like-minded people of India. The
response was tremendous and today there are 33 SOS Children’s Villages and more
than 75 allied projects supporting thousands of needy children.
He never used the word Orphan for a child and made sure that
a child when comes ‘home’ at SOS Children’s Village he/she must grow with love,
security and respect which eventually had become the guiding principle for the
organisation. He maintained, “by bringing home a child, we reaffirm our faith
in life and the basic goodness of mankind.”
Whenever he heard about a child is in danger he tried hard
to reach. He contributed the society in many ways and guided the state and
voluntary organisations by his ideas and experiences. The government of India
recognized his unflinching zeal to serve needy children and conferred one of
the biggest civilian honours on him -Padma Shree in 2000.
SOS-Kinderdorf International, the umbrella organisation of
the SOS Children’s Villages worldwide made him honorary member the first one
from Asia in year 2005.
He had been associated with various government and voluntary
agencies engaged in childcare such as Member of Expert Committee for Care and
Rehabilitation of Destitute Children, member of Executive Committee, Indian
Council for Child Welfare, Vice President of Association for Social Health in
India, President of Defense for Children International in India, President of
Kashmiri Sevak Samaj, Faridabad and KECSS-Delhi and also member of
Rehabilitation Council for Militancy Victims in Kashmir.
He received the greatest award in form of ‘Papaji’- all
children and co-workers lovingly call him so. One of the youths who grew in SOS
Children’s Village Greenfields recalled, J N Kaul, ” He always had the time for
tiny details such as whether we had the pens, books or what was on the menu at
lunch, a terrific human-being. I lost my father”
J.N. Kaul was recipient of many awards and honours including
the Raja Rammohan Roy Teacher’s Award, the G.D. Birla Award, the Rajiv Gandhi
Manav Seva Award, the Twentieth Century Achievement Award (awarded by the
American Biographical Institute USA), the Dadabhai Naroji New Millennium Award,
the Satpal Mittal National Award and the Vayoshrestha Award by the Ministry of
Social Justice.
His son Siddhartha Kaul replaced Helmut Kutin as the president of
His son Siddhartha Kaul replaced Helmut Kutin as the president of
Reference: Faridabad Post
Fulfill the dream of J N Kaul by supporting SOS Children's Villages India
Sponsor a child today:
Online: www.soschildrensvillages.in
Telephone: +91-11- 4323 9200
Toll-free No.: 1800 102 6905
Email : soscvi@soscvindia.org
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