Aswasa Bhavan: Home for Prisoners' Children in Pampady, Kottayam

KOTTAYAM: Seventeen year old Rufas Anton is one of the members of Aswasa Bhavan, in Pampady, Kottayam, an exclusive home for prisoners' children, founded by Joseph Mathew.

Anton joined this home at the age of five from the Trivandrum Central Jail, where his mother a Srilankan citizen, was serving her sentence for smuggling drugs, brown sugar in India.

His mother was pregnant when she was captured by Indian police from Trivandrum Airport. And in India, a woman Prison inmate can keep her child, with her, in prison, till the child reaches the age of five. So Anton was shifted from Trivandrum Central jail to Aswasa Bhavan at the age of five.

"Earlier I wanted to be a Judge but now I wants to be an Aeronautical engineer" said Anton when asked about his ambition. But he don't wants to go to Srilanka as he is afraid of the fight going on between Srilankan government and LTTE.

Although Anton said he never misses his mother but he wants her to be with him in Aswasa Bhavan and his mother who is now free and in Srilanka too wants to stay with him. But she has to complete some formalities before coming here and Mr Mathew is helping her in completing those formalities.
Each of the 65 children in Aswasa Bhavan has a story similar to Anton but they are happy here with their new parents Mrs and Mr Joseph Mathew and their two children . (248)