Tag: AmritaSeRVe
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Anju against all odds
‘Being a woman in a man’s world is never easy.’ This refrain is heard time and again. The story of Anju Singh bears testimony to this statement. With Amma’s grace, by taking part in the AmritaSeRVE program, she has been able to overcome all odds and transform not only her own life, but those of others in her village as well. Anju has taken tremendous efforts to coach children who dropped out of school in Alirajpur village, Juna Kathiwada district, Madhya Pradesh. Anju was not a ‘born’ social worker. Hardships – both economic and social – forced her to discontinue…
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It’s all about working with the right attitude
“Being an atheist, I had never known what values were in their true sense until I met Amma.” Mr. Sairam, Income Generator of Amrita SeRVE greeted us with this strong statement in a freewheeling chat, wherein he conveyed the idea behind AmritaSeRVE and how, through an amazing transformation effected by Amma, he became a part of this program. This mind-set is the result of a transformational meeting Sairam had with AMMA on 26th September 2015. Even as a young entrepreneur in Andhra Pradesh, he did not feel entirely satisfied with the line of work he was in and sought answers…
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From basic education to technology, a dream coming true
On this auspicious occasion of our beloved AMMA’s 63rd birthday we got an opportunity to interact with Mr. Subhash who is the coordinator of Amrita SeRVe – Koduru Village, Telangana. Mr. Subhash described the AmritaSeRVe initiatives going on in his village. They have constructed a Shiva temple in the village, but he says “Our whole intention was that ‘Shakti’ should come to this village and make this village develop.” And, they felt that Shakti may come through the medium of a good spiritual organization. During that time, Ashram (MAM) was also considering adoption of this village. The initiative started with…
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Spreading Amma’s doctrine of helping the needy
In remote villages, providing proper healthcare services continues to remain a challenge in modern India. One reason India’s HDI (Human Development Index) is low is because of the absence of quality healthcare services in rural areas. India, after all, has the world’s largest number of people living in rural areas. In order to address this issue, the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences trained healthcare workers, who provide early diagnostic and preventive care in the villages. The health workers are often married women and sometimes they have not even attended college. But they are beginning to work confidently in Amma’s villages,…
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Amrita fragrance spreads over Malanad
Amma started a school there first; it was about ten years ago. Amrita Vidyalayam, Nagara is a beautiful orange pink building with one very long wing, located on the lush Kollur road, about 45 kms from Devi Mookambika. The village Byse 5kms from school has been beneficiary of several of Amrita Serve activities. Several women have learnt the art of making blocks and building toilets; have learnt several other skills too. Three years ago Amrita sent a team to start Yoga courses for women exclusively. The course included several literary as well as cultural activities. Then many more courses were…
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Baby Yoga
Although there are many health, nutrition, and educational deficiencies in Indian villages, I am always struck by the things that are healthy about village life. Many smart, happy people have emerged from modest village roots. I am staying in an AmritaServe adopted village, Hadiabad, Bihar, with the R.P. Singh family. Three brothers, their wives, children and parents are living in one large house. Thirteen plus guests. The children move easily from person to person getting so much attention. One beautiful ritual I witness every morning is when the grandmother, Dewanti Devi massages the youngest child, Satyam for nearly twenty minutes.…
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From rat to Yoga
Musahar is a caste originally known as the “Rat Catchers”. Although they no longer practice that craft, they are still severly marginalised. Their village of Ratanpur is one of two Amrita Serve adopted villages in Bihar. Huts are made of mud. Pigs are raised and roam everywhere. Many children go unwashed even though there are multiple hand pumps in the village. In this environment, it is remarkable that 50 children would turn out for a Sunday morning yoga class. It has taken nearly two years of regular free tuition classes to convince a portion of the parents they can send…
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500 toilets estimated to be built in Indhpur, Himachal Pradesh
Meera Devi has four children. The first died in an accident at age four. The second, from health problems at 10 months. Third is Chahat, age nine. She has “mind problems” which have gotten better with expensive medicine. And number four is Simran. She has had developmental problems from birth but is a delightful child. Meera’s husband Amrik can do only light work due to a lung problem. They live in a modest, but well kept three room house. There is an outdoor washing area, but no toilet as is typical for this village. Meera has joined the second…