30 years on, orphaned Raju mans Ponda's roads

PONDA: Society may consider him an orphan, but to him society is his family.
For Raju, as he is popularly known, has one mission -- serving society by ensuring traffic discipline in Ponda. For the last 30 years he has been "voluntarily" rendering service to the town as a "traffic cop", and few who see him have shown him sympathy.
He has no roof over his head and finds shelter in the parking lot behind the police station.His belongings constitute two small bags, three to four pairs of shoes and two blankets. Physically challenged, Raju has mastered the art of coping with the difficulty and is a torch-bearer to those who nurse a dream of sacrificing their lives for others without expecting anything in return.
Every dawn finds Raju begin his duty as a "traffic cop". Whistle in hand, a trusted friend he banks a lot on, Raju ensures a smooth flow of traffic. The sound of a shrill whistle on the streets of Ponda, is a reminder of Raju's presence.
Ponda traffic inspector Salim Shaikh says, "Ever since I joined the police service in 1991 I have seen Raju regulating traffic. He is doing it voluntarily' and without any remuneration. He makes a living out of help given by people."
Raju takes special care of school children, their safety being his priority. Instances of when he has rescued school kids from possible mishaps are many. Moreover, his alert eye at the bus stand has led to the police take into custody several pickpockets and anti-socials.
"Once a pickpocket robbed a gold chain belonging to a girl. The girl's parents lodged a complaint. Raju was suspicious about a particular person, kept trail of the suspect and followed him till the Mollem check post. He found the chain with the person and the culprit landed into the cops' net," president of Ponda Patrakar Sangh (PPS) Gokuldas Mulvi says.
Raju's life has been a battle of adversities. He has no idea who his parents are. All he knows is that he left an orphanage in Nagpur some 30 years ago as he did not like the ambience. During his childhood, he suffered an illness and partially lost his speech, a challenge he fights even today.
Ponda PI C L Patil is all praise for Raju. Says he, "Even though Raju is physically challenged, he is a role model. He is doing service voluntarily. His efforts should be praised, he deserves accolades.''
Which is what is happening. The PPS is felicitating him on the occasion of the death anniversary of Bal Gangadhar Tilak on August 1.
Says Mulvi, "Thirty years ago, I saw this man in front of the Dada Vaidya statue at Ponda. Initially I thought he was a commuter taking some rest. It was when I saw him the next day at the same place that I enquired about his whereabouts.''
"What I learnt was startling,'' Mulvi says. "He was an inmate of an orphanage in Nagpur. He came to Goa by train and on reaching Vasco, he headed straight for Ponda as if he had some roots here. That was my first encounter. Since he had no shelter, we managed to make some temporary arrangement for him near the police station. Slowly he developed an interest in police work and has volunteered his life to keep the Ponda traffic moving."
That he does this very well is attested to by the traffic police. "He is meticulous in his work and contributes to a great extent in ensuring a smooth flow of traffic. As a patriot, he holds a place in the foremost ranks," says Shaikh.