Though the world seems to be enveloped by darkness, the Corona situation has cast a pall of gloom, still, calamities have a way of bringing out the best in humanity too.
In normal times people restrict their munificence to a good extent to their loved ones and those that are known to them but calamities such as what the world is facing now seem to wipe out all boundaries and people as a whole come out to help in whatever way they can and the world, for some time at least, becomes Vasudhaiva Kutumbukum – One World Family. Though it does also underline a sad fact that it takes a calamity to awaken the Humanity within humanity. Spirituality ever has been about becoming a human being, in the true sense of the word.
When the ashram was being established, Amma had said “…so that the world may not forget that selfless love and love are still a possibility in this world…”, so the ashram has been engaged in endless Service Activities in all spheres of life. In the Covid situation too Amma has reached out and supported both the Centre and State Governments with funds, the Amrita Hospital in Kochi has been in the forefront in providing care to Covid Patients, an endless number of SHG’s have been given special support, the University has come up with many studies and inventions to help in battling the Covid situation.
Here in Delhi, AYUDH, the youth initiative of MAM(Mata Amritanandamayi Math) has been running a Covid Resource Centre for many days, many members and devotee volunteers have been literally working around the clock gathering and verifying needs and resources and then connecting the two together, to provide a direction and relief to many who call out in distress. A Doctors Helpline is also being put in place as many people don’t know what to do and when, and at times too much information and wrong information on social platforms, rather than helping, causes more problems.
Amma has asked us to reach out to villages neighbouring the 2000+ bed Amrita Hospital Project in Faridabad (which has been further delayed by the present situation and the labour situation) and provide a regular supply of Food and Provisions to 1000 families and more.
The beneficiaries have been identified and provisions are being dropped off at their homes, to avoid any unnecessary gathering of people. This help will continue till the end of the present Covid situation.
An ambulance was also dedicated to the service of people in this area. Other than the obvious Oxygen, it has and ECG, BP, Pulse, Oximeter machine too. The Services would be coordinated from the Hospital Site. Within a few days we would dedicate another Ambulance.
The Delhi Ashram has been a Center of Hope for many poor families around the Ashram. We have not only been providing Classes to about 100 children, over years but also help their families with all their needs – be it medical, food, education and fees, clothing, etc. So here too we are providing provisions and medical aid and advice to these
families.
We are helping a neighbouring Housing Colony with about 300 patients and about 24deaths in the past month alone to set up a primary care centre within their own premises, guiding them and helping them with Oxygen, etc.
Other than this we are helping many people find almost impossible to find beds in Hospitals as we have established a good network with many hospitals. Oxygen is also being reached out to those in need.
As PSA (Oxygen production) machines are not to be found in India, we are trying to source such machines from outside of India and many devotees are working for this.
Oxygen Concentrators are also being sourced from outside of the country. Even as I write this, I received a call from one devotee in distress, saying that the doctors were moving him into the ICU… An unending series of such calls at all times, calls of distress, call of pain, the pain and distress not only of those who are afflicted by the disease but those who lose a dear one. Where an elderly patient, herself a Covid Patient, runs out on the street and begs passersby to take her to an Oxygen generating facility, after she receives a call from the Hospital that her ailing husband is running out of oxygen and the Hospital has no reserves. There was no one to help her at that point in time, but maybe we can try to help the next such person.
In one of Amma’s anecdote there is a question raised – “When do I know that night has ended and day dawned?” Many people give different answers to this question, all connected to what they can see in the increasing light of day and then the Master says – “When you see your brother in every man and your sister in every woman, know then
that a new day has truly dawned”, let us all pray for this, for is we are truly one then there is no situation we can’t surmount together.
Om Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu
-Swami Nijamritananda
