M.S. Sunil

M.S. Sunil (born c.1961) is an Indian academic and philanthropist known for housing the homeless. Her work was recognised in 2018 when she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar.

M.S. Sunil
Bornc.1961
Kerala
NationalityIndia
Occupationacademic and house builder
Known forbuilding and giving away homes to the homeless
Spouse(s)yes
Childrenone

Life

Sunil come from Kerala. She was given an unusual name because her father had chosen a boy's name before he found out that he had a daughter. Her philanthropy began when she was still at school giving food to begging children.[1]

She taught in Catholicate College Pathanamthitta's zoology department and she retired as head of that department.[2]

In 2006 she was moved to action when she realised that one of her students taking a master's degree did not have a proper house.[3] She did not turn to an organisation but to herself and she gathered money and materials from friends and this in addition to her own money created a house.[4]

M.S. Sunil and her 2018 award

She was chosen to be one of three award winners from Kerala of the Nari Shakti Puraskar. The others were scientist Lizymol Philipose and temple artist Syamala Kumari.[5] The awards were made on International Women's Day in 2018 on behalf of the Ministry of Women and Child Development[6] by the President of India. The award is the highest award for women in India.[2] Sunil buys all of the materials herself and she then supervises the construction of each new house. They are small but they have two rooms, a kitchen and a toilet within their area of 450 sq ft. The houses are built in 35 days and topped with a roof made from galvanised steel. By the time of her award she had built over eighty houses.[1]

In 2020 she went to meet Karthyayani Amma who was a 98 year old who had been also nominated for the Nari Shakti Puraskar. Amma had never flown before but she was reassured by Sunil days before she flew to Delhi.[7]

References
  1. "Nari Shatki Puraskar citation". Ministry of WCD on Twitter. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  2. Kuttoor, Radhakrishnan (2018-03-07). "Charity 'home maker' gets her due on women's day". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  3. "This Professor Did Not Stop with Teaching, but Went on To Build Houses for Poor People". www.theweekendleader.com. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  4. "This professor wears many hats to help others". Deccan Herald. 2011-11-12. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  5. "Scientist, social worker and mural artist: Meet Nari Shakti winners from Kerala". The News Minute. 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  6. "Nari Shakti Puraskar - Gallery". narishaktipuraskar.wcd.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  7. "At 98, Karthyayani Amma prepares for 1st flight; to receive Nari Shakti Puraskar on Women's Day". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
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