Mysore/Mysuru: The inmates, sisters and staff of the Home for the Aged, run by Little Sisters of the Poor on Mahadevapura Road in Gandhinagar, Mysuru, celebrated the 100th birthday of its inmate today.

The centenarian, who celebrated his birthday today, is Chinappa Gaunder, a native of Mettur in Tamil Nadu.

Chinappa, a farmer, joined the Old Age Home in 2010 and since then he has been helping in maintaining the garden there. However since a year, he began to suffer from arthritis                                                  and hypertension making him wheelchair bound. But still, he goes around the garden and supervises the works. His daughter-in-law and grandson visit him regularly.

This morning a prayer was held for Chinappa and in the evening students from St. Joseph’s Nursing College will present cultural programmes followed by cake cutting.

About Little Sisters

As late Bishop Most Rev. Mathias Fernandes of Mysore felt many poor people were abandoned in their old age, the Little Sisters arrived in Mysuru on May 1, 1971 and started to care for 10 aged people in the rooms that were provided for them. Now, the Old Age Home takes care of 85 elderly citizens and provide them with all that they need just to keep them happy and comfortable.

With no fixed income, the Old Age Home depends purely on charity and donations from the public, friends and benefactors. Two sisters go out daily and collect donations from the public across the city and hence they are able to provide the needs of the elderly residents in the evening of their lives.