25 sep 2009, Amritapuri
Every year, students and staff of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham are active participants various service activities that an event of such large scale as Amma’s birthday celebrations entail. This year, their services call for something more than just their physical presence at the venue, but compassionate commitment towards a group of children who come from financially underprivileged sections of the society.
These are beneficiaries of Mata Amritanandamayi Math’s Vidyamritam programme, around 10,000 children who find the quarterly stipend given by the Math their only window to the outside world.
The children have started arriving at Amritapuri and one can see large group of excited children who fill the halls and corridors of Amrita School of Engineering of the Amritapuri campus. Under Amma’s personal guidance, a variety of activities have been planned for the benefit of these students including a puppet show and a magic show. These children will also be given free clothes, each of which have been stitched to the exact measurement of each student.
How has the Math been able to manage the logistics of managing 10,000 students aged 12 to 18, many of whom are travelling outside their villages for the first time in their lives? It’s the staff and students of Amrita University who have been working to make sure the children who come to Amritapuri are taken care of like welcome guests in a home. Working along with the systematic and meticulous planning of their Pro-Chancellor Brahmachari Abhayamrita Chaitanya, a dedicated team of staff from the University have been involved in the Vidyamritam project for more than a month now- preparing identity badges for the children, arranging their food and accommodation, distribution of cheques and clothes for the beneficiaries and above all, making sure that these children who are probably leaving their parents for the first time feel at home in Amritapuri.
In order to ensure everything goes smoothly, around 26 counters have been set up in the Amrita School of Engineering grounds, manned by 784 staff and student volunteers from Amritapuri and Ettimadai campuses of the university. These counters will take care of registration of Vidymrtiam beneficiaries and from that point every volunteer will be assigned a group of 10-25 children and the guardians accompanying them.
“The next three days, act as elder brothers and sisters to these children”, instructed Brahmachari Abhayamrita Chaitanya, and the students have taken these instructions to heart. The volunteers have to accompany the children to their accommodation, meals and the programme venue. They have to ensure that their charges get their meals on time, go to bed by 10 in the night, and wake up at 4. 30 am to get to the venue in time for the programmes. The volunteers’ duties also include toilet training for at least some of these children, who might be totally new to the idea of keeping washrooms clean.
“I find this experience great and a real service to Amma”, said Dhanya, MCA girl from the Amritapuri campus.
By Gaurango Banerji and Sabyasachi Biswas