41 mins ago
From Hungry Migrant Worker to Bengaluru’s Lifeline for Workers
R Kaleemullah helps migrant workers in Bengaluru when they face serious problems.
These problems can include unpaid wages, eviction, police issues or expensive medical treatment.
He knows many lawyers, activists and volunteers who can help.
He understands workers’ struggles because he was once poor and hungry after moving to the city.
He also helps women who face violence and supports children who have left school.
Some people have threatened him because of his work.
Even after major heart surgery, he continues answering calls for help.
He trains young people to support vulnerable communities.
He recently received an award for his long service to workers and disadvantaged families.
R Kaleemullah helps Bengaluru’s migrant workers with wage disputes, evictions, medical emergencies and police complaints.
His own experiences of poverty, hunger and institutional hardship shaped his commitment to vulnerable communities.
He has built a network of lawyers, trade unionists, social workers and volunteers over more than three decades.
His work also includes supporting women facing violence, helping children re-enter school and assisting victims of injustice.
Kaleemullah recently received a 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award for his humanitarian and advocacy work.
- Who
- R Kaleemullah, national vice-president of the All India Shramik Swaraj Kendra, and the migrant workers and other vulnerable people he assists.
- What
- Kaleemullah provides practical, legal and humanitarian support to migrant workers, women, children and families facing injustice.
- Where
- Bengaluru, with related advocacy and relief work across Karnataka and elsewhere in India.
- When
- He has worked in Bengaluru for more than three decades; he recently received a 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Why
- His own experiences of poverty, discrimination and vulnerability led him to help people facing similar difficulties.
Key facts
- Age
- 51
- Organization
- All India Shramik Swaraj Kendra
- Bengaluru work
- More than three decades
- Support network
- Lawyers, trade unionists, social workers and grassroots volunteers
- Additional work
- Women’s rights, legal aid, child education and humanitarian relief
- Health challenge
- He has undergone major cardiac surgery
- Recent recognition
- 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award for the Society Support category
Quotes
R Kaleemullah
Labour union leader and migrant-worker advocate in Bengaluru
“A large number of sanitation workers, ragpickers and construction workers in Bengaluru are Bengali Muslims. When I stand up for their legal rights or question arbitrary detentions, people often look at me through their religious identity. But for me, the issue is the same whether the person seeking help is a Muslim, Hindu or from any other community.”
indianexpress.com
“I never planned to become a social worker. But when you have lived through extreme vulnerability yourself, you recognise the pain immediately in someone else. You understand what it feels like to be completely helpless.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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