Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Title : Rama’s squirrel calling

All over the world, April 22nd has been celebrated as an Earth day since 1970. The Global theme for this year’s (2019) Earth day is ‘Protect our Species’. This is selected keeping in mind the rapid decline of our precious natural wealth. The latest Living Plant index tabulates alarming findings.

In the last five decades, around 50% of many species are lost. Fish, births, mammals, amphibians and reptiles averaged a 60% decline in populations. Fresh water living species around 83%. A scary scenario indeed.

The Green Rameswaram project tries to address this issue by advocating a development approach which is holistic and have a human face. This paradigm shift will help to turn the “Fragile Ecosystem” to “Balanced Ecosystem”.

This month’s newsletter has the following highlights:

Dr. Sanjay Banerji in his blog writes about “Ecological Services”.    Hand in Hand India – organized health camp for Green friends and regular awareness programmes.
Shri.Subramanian of C.P.R. Environmental Educational Center writes about Nava Graha Vanam. This month he gives the details of Darbha Grass which stands for Ketu Graha.
Landscaping and Beautification section – Planting of trees at DSP office and cleaning of Nandavanam.  Revival and Renovation of Waterbodies – Jambavan Teertham.
In the Social Capital section, Teertha Poojas, regular yoga classes and Siddha camp etc.

Archarya Training Camp

Vivekananda Kendra is running a educational project - Anandalaya Rabha community of Goalpara district since 2014, Assam. There are total 23 Acharya working in Goalpara District. From 13 to 17 April 2019 Acharya Training Camp was organized.

From Holistic Approach to Life - Antidote to Cartesian Partition

Sir Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman (7 November 1888 – 21 November 1970) was a renowned physicist born at Trichy, Tamilnadu. He carried out groundbreaking work in the field of light scattering, which earned him the 1930 Nobel Prize for Physics. He discovered that when light traverses a transparent material, some of the deflected light changes wavelength and amplitude. This phenomenon, subsequently known as Raman scattering, results from the Raman effect. In 1954, government honoured him with India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.

Raman also worked on the acoustics of musical instruments. Raman's work on acoustics was an important prelude, both experimentally and conceptually, to his later work on optics and quantum mechanics. In this issue, we have given some of his quotable quotes.

We are opening the issue with an interesting anecdote on “Holistic approach to life”.

In happenings section, we have covered various training programmes such as:

Organic farming
Construction of Bio-methanation plants
Siddha Varma workshop and usual Networking
NewsletterIn the wisdom section, Yvon Chouinard, American Environmentalist explains the importance of Simpler life, Frtijof Capra the famous Physicist and deep Ecologist narrates how mythology and science are merging together and finally Werner Heisenberg’s admission that Indian philosophy helped him in clearing his ideas on the most complex issues.

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Anandalaya Samaroh at Jorhat

Vivekannada Kendra running one teacher school in the interir of Assam called Anandalaya. The project involves 3500 students, 185 yuva karyakart as, and around 1500 village elders in Gram samity of each aanandalaya. For the students of anandalaya, various places Anandalaya functions were orgnized.There were 350 students of 35 aanandalaya of Jorhat district participated in Aanadalaya samaroh. Patriotic song, asan, suryanamaskar, tables competition and games was organized. Dr Sovarani B Srmah Print Pramukh was present to guide the karyakartas and Jorhat nagar samity karyakartas were present. Another samaroh was organized at Marioni. Out of 167 aanandalayas in Assam Program was organized for Jorhat District aanandalaya.

Free Cataract Surgery Camp at Sadiya

Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari in association with District Blindness Control Society, Tinsukia district, Assam conducted one free cataract surgery camp at Chapakhowa government Hospital on 30th March 2019. A total 22 poor and elderly patients were successfully operated during the camp. Dr. G.S. Gogoi(Eye Surgeon) and Dr.Alka Devi (Eye Surgeon) along with the Eye OT team of Tinsukia District Civil Hospital conducted the surgeries. To detect cataracts the mobile medical team of Vivekananda Kendra Arun Jyoti conducted one cataract detection camp at Ambikapur village on13th March. 25 cataracts were detected during the camp.
This is to be mentioned that in this financial year (2018- 2019), Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari conducted 13 cataract detection camps and 7 cataract surgery camps including one PHACO surgery camp at Roing, Arunachal Pradesh. 252 surgeries were conducted successfully during the camps.   

Rural Development activity update - Jan 2019

Service activities

“Through 75 Balwadis, 1952 rural Children were nurtured. In all the Balwadis, Malt along with hygienically prepared, highly nutritive lunch with vegetables were served during the day and in the evening vitamin-rich cereals were provided to the children”.

Eye camps were conducted at 3 places, in Kanyakumari, Nellai and Thoothukudi districts in which 579 were treated for their eye ailments and 104 underwent a cataract operation. 31 persons were given eye medicines and 19 persons were given spectacles.

In our Medicare Programme, 1745 patients were examined and treated for various common ailments, through 14 Rural Medical Centers in Kanyakumari,Nellai and Thoothukudi districts.

4 tailoring units are functioning well in Nellai district with the total attendance of 81.

Cultural activities

Yoga Varga has been conducted at 2 places in Aruppukottai and Kovilpatti where 22 persons attended.

Vivekavani Subscriptions including 146 annual, 64 Patrons also collected.

In Shivalinga Pooja conducted at 3 places in Kanyakumari District where 199 devotees participated.

Under ‘Adopt a Granny Programme’, 23 destitutes and old people were provided with monthly solatiums, in the form of rice, dhal,oil,etc., for their livelihood and 89 persons provided with rice only in Southern five districts of Tamilnadu.

80 women are being benefited in 4 Self Help Groups in Kanyakumari district.

In Durga Pooja conducted at 3 places, in Kanyakumari District 197 devotees participated.

Through various branch centers, including Thoothukudi A.O. and book stalls, literature books

were sold for Rs.80,930/- .

Monthly Deepa poojas were organized in 224 village temples in five districts of Southern Tamilnadu, in which 8699 ladies participated and offered prayers for the welfare of the self, family and the society.

In 181 Sanskara Vargas, 6581 students participated. The students were taught about the values of Indian Culture through games,lectures & lessons. The feelings of oneness were strengthened among the participants, through patriotic songs and games.

Anna Pooja was performed at Ramnad 70 Arulmigu Thavala Vinayagar Templedevotees participated inthe function and total rice 2200 kgs collected and prasatham distributed to all devotees after the pooja.

Republic day function was celebrated in Southern five districts where 4234 people participated in 72 places.

Geetha Jeyanthi function celebrated in Kanyakumari,Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi districts where 1617 people participated in 23 places.

Swami Vivekanandar Jeyanthi celebrated in Kanyakumari,Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi

Ramnad & Virudhunagar districts where 4667 people participated in 74 places.

Kendra Varga was conducted at Thoothukudi and Aruppukottai in 3 places and 30 persons

participated .

Mathru Pooja was conducted two places in Thoothukudi district and 50 parents participated .

Perents meeting was conducted at 12 places in three districts and 168 parents participated.

Details of Rural District level competitions held in Southern four districts

Total No.of. competitions - 7, Schools - 383, Students - 1933, Parents- 255, Teachers - 356.

College and School level Teachers’ essay competition conducted in the topic of “ The services rendered by great Tamil personalities for Indian Nationalism and all round development of India. For example people like 1. Thirunanachampandar, 2. Thirunavukarasar, 3. Aathisankarar, 4. Ramanujar, 5. Rajaji, 6. Kamarajar,7. C.Subramaniyam, 8. Abdulkalam ” and

36 school teachers and 6 college lecturers participated and some of them also attended the camp held at Kanyakumari and received the prizes for the same.Vacs College Girls camp was conducted at Kanyakumari from31.12.2018 to 03.01.2019 99 students from 11 collegess 4 parents & teachers participated in this camp.

Rural Inter District Level Childrens Carnival conducted at Kanyakumari from 31.01.2019 to 03.02.2019. 152 students from 96 schools 200 parents & teachers participated in this camp.

“Sri Rama Jeya Rama” Mantra was chanted during Deepa Pooja, Shivalinga Pooja and daily with our Balwadi school children, cultural class students and during monthly meetings by our Balwadi teachers and Social Workers. This month nearly 8,69,865 times mantras were chanted in 84 localities.

This month, we have distributed the rice which was collected through Amrita

Surabhi and Anna Pooja to Balwadi children, old poor people and the institutions

as mentioned below :

1. Mouzhanagurusamy madam, Thottiodu - Kanyakumari district - 100 Kgs

2. Sivan Kovil - Attoor - 25 Kgs

2. Indhu Middle School, A.Thirumalapuram - Kanyakumari district - 150 Kgs INSPIRING INCIDENTS

V.Rajakumari – Peyankuzhi – Kanyakumari district

On 14.10.2017 urban level cultural competitions were to be held in Hindu Vidyalaya, Marthandam. It was raining heavily from the down. Being and old building there was leakage on the roof and the floor was wet. The teachers of that School wiped the floor neatly and spread sheet. When we said that we would do that work, they admitted that it was their duty to arrange everything for our

dedicated service. The participants also came in the rain without fail. The teacher’s involvement and the students’ dedication towards the Kendra competitions impressed me a lot.

A.Leelarajakani – Ponnagaram- Ramnad district

On 25.09.2017 I had arranged “Thiruvilakku Pooja” in the Amman kovil near our Creche. It became late for me to come. But our Creche children came before me and were singing Bhajan songs. As soon as they saw me all of them ran to me. I had never asked them to come there. During the pooja also they chanted the Mantras following me. Their fluency in saying the Mantras made the villagers surprised. For more than two hours they were with me and helped me. Their affection and devotion touched my heart.

M.Jayarajakani – Vadalivilai – Nellai district

In our Creche a three years old child named Subiksha is very shrewd. WhenVallioor Govt. School

students came for the N.S.S. camp in Vadalivilai, they asked me for prayer song in the night programme. I asked Subiksha to say Mantras on the stage. Her pose and tone attracted everybody. She only started the programmes with her prayer all the seven days of the camp. The last day she was honoured on the stage. Morever during Deepavali function in the village she narrated the sayings of Swami Vivekananda on stage. She was much praised and given prize by the villagers. All praised Vivekananda Kendra and me for training the children in good aspects. This touched my heart.

S.Priyanka – Mannarkovil – Tirunelveli district

A Govt. Creche was started in Mannarkovil. They asked for 5 children from our Creche. I had refused first. Then the villagers came and selected 5 kids to go there. I couldn’t say anything. But the very next morning one of the kids named Siva came to our Creche. For one full day he was crying there. Then the other kids also refused to go there. They told that it was not like our School. No rhymes no songs, no stories. The kids attraction towards our Creche touched my heart.

G.Krishnammal – Peyankuzhi – Kanyakumari district

On 14.10.2017 urban level competitions were held in Marthandam Hindu Vidyalaya. In order to collect prize books and sales books I started earlier. Due to the over bridge construction there were many diversions. Somehow I had reached the School. But around 9 o clock there was heavy rain. “How the students would come?” I feared. To my great surprise teachers, parents and participants came in a large number and everything went on smoothly. This event touched my heart.

M.Shenbagam – K.Thangammalpuram – Thoothukudi district

During the Creche Teachers training camp at Kanyakumari. I got practice in getting up earlier and doing yoga after bath. I came to know and experience the benefits of that. I taught the same to the

cultural class student. Sathyapriya, a students was impressed by ‘Surya Namaskaram’ and trained his younger brother to do it. He had leg and knee pain and was very lazy. After doing Surya Namaskar daily he became very brisk and alert. When she told me this I was much impressed.