The Shyamalan Family presents Celebrity Night

by A.D. Amorosi

The name of the evening is misleading. Its benefactors are not. The Shyamalans -- Drs. Jaya and Nelliate and their son, M. Night, film director -- have gathered resources and selflessly spent time and energy for the cause of Papa Vidyakar, a doubly selfless man who, since 1983, has given his life over to India's most neglected souls for his Helping Hands organization. (Vidyakar's own youth in Chennai had been unsettled until he was taken in, fed and educated by a family who saw him get his master's degrees in law, sociology and psychology.) The doctors Shyamalan made Papa's acquaintance 14 years ago, while Vidyakar was knee-deep in his work at the orphanage. "I was amazed at how he took so quickly to all children of all ages," says Dr. Jaya of Vidyakar. "When his adoptive father was dying, he told Papa to never forget where he came from." Vidyakar worked with "the poorest of India's poor" until he found an abandoned baby near a movie theater. From then on, lost children became his cause: a housing/feeding/caring project, Helping Hands, that eventually took in abused women, HIV/AIDS patients and physically disabled and mentally ill men and women. "He started with one baby and ended up building a house -- a home, not an orphanage -- with 2,000 people [whom] he gives his time to 24 hours a day. He never sleeps."

Jaya Shyamalan visits Vidyakar so often and has so thoroughly seen his plight and the need for funding that she's involved her own family -- two children, four grandchildren -- in raising funds and building school grounds, play facilities and separate homes for male and female teens. For his first-ever visit to the U.S., the Shyamalans (along with members of their extended family) welcome Vidyakar with a fundraising reception/auction -- done with little outside sponsorship from American corporations or donors besides the Shyamalans and David Benton of the Rittenhouse Hotel. The event sees both doctors out and about: a rare moment. "I'm not one to go out -- I'm a very private person. But I so adore and respect his work and his sacrifice; I feel it's an honor to do this for him. Helping Hands is more than just physical and mental care. He's giving people back their lives. Good lives."

The Shyamalan Family presents Celebrity Night, Sat., Sept. 20, 7 p.m., $100-$500, with guest of honor Papa Vidyakar, Miss Universe Amelia Vega and Indian classical dancers Shoba Sharma and Natya Ensemble, Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, 260 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999.

-- Respond to this article in our Forums -- click to jump there