RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME REPORT - JULY 2010

Dear Brothers & Sisters Namaskar.

The report for the activities, conducted by VKRDP, during the month of JULY 2010 as detailed below, is submitted herewith for your kind information:

1. Through 75 Balwadis, 1,884 rural Children were nurtured. In the Balwadis, Malt, hygienically prepared highly nutritive lunch were served, with vegetables, and in the evening vitamin riched cereals were provided to the children.

2. In Medicare Programme, 1,413 patients were examined and treated for various common ailments, through 15 Rural Medical Centres.

3. In 226 Samskara Vargas, 7,143 students participated. The students were taught about the values of Indian Culture, through games and lessons. The feelings of oneness are strengthened among participants, through patriotic songs and games.

4. Under Adopt A Grannie Parent Programme,15 destitutes - old people were provided with monthly solatiums, in the form of rice, dhal, oil, etc., for their livelihood and 27 persons provided rice only.

5. With the assistance of Aravind Eye Hospital, Tirunelveli Free Eye Screening Camps were organised at two places. 349 patients were screened and 124 were operated for cataract.

6. Village level Deepa Poojas were organised in 263 temples with 9,302 women participants, who offered their prayers to God for the welfare of all people. On 25.07.2010, 1008 deepa pooja were conducted at Nainarkoil in Ramnad district 1026 ladies participated from 40 villages.

7. Our Vivekananda Kendra workers collected 1,234 Kgs of rice, from the people of Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar Districts, under Amrita Surabhi Scheme.

8. Through various branch centres and Book stalls, Rs.33,444/- worth of literature books were sold.

9. Subscriptions for 103 Vivekavani, one Arunachal Bndhu Parivar and two patrons were collected.

10. 80 women are being benefited in 4 Self Help Groups in Kanyakumari district.

11. Swadhyaya Varga was organised in Paramakudi and Aruppukottai in which 36 persons participated.

12. Yoga Varga is being conducted at three places in Thoothukudi, Ramnad and Aruppukottai and 65 persons attended.

13. Four Tailoring units are functioning well in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts and total attendance is 69.

14. Shivalinga Poojas was conducted at two places in Kanyakumari District and 104 members participated.

15. Durga Pooja was conducted in Peyankuzhy of Kanyakumari District, and 63 women participated in Devi pooja.

16. Chanting of Sri Rama Jaya Rama Mantra was held during Deepa Pooja, Shivalinga Pooja and also daily by our balwadi school children, cultural class students and during monthly meetings by our balwadi teachers and Social Workers. Every month nearly 3,45,840 times mantras were chanted in 135 localities.

17. On 13.06.2010, Personality development camp was conducted at Kumarapuram in Thoothukudi District of Tamil Nadu, 26 students participated.

18. Karyakartha camp was held at Surandai in Tirunelveli District, 48 persons participated .

19. On 27.06.2010, Mathru Pooja was held at Valliyoor in Tirunelveli district, 100 parents participated.

20. Swami Vivekanandar pictures were pasted in 1005 houses in 15 villages of Kanyakumari and Virudhunagar Districts.

21. Under Mahalakshmi Glass works Private Limited, Mumbai 325 girl children were provided with educational aids in Southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

22. A talk on Swami Vivekananda was organized in Kaleeswari college at Sivakasi – Shri G. N agasamy –incharge-Kovilpatti spoken on Youth and Swami Vivekananda and more than 500 students participated in it.

23. Religious conference was organized at Peyankuzhy on 27.06.2010, 267 students from 14 cultural classes participated.

24. Parents meetings were conducted in 3 places, 90 parents attended.

25. Guru Poornima was celebrated in 11 places, 659 peoples worshipped their Guru.

26. Velga Velgavey programme’s meeting was organized in the following places:

27. Every month we are distributing the rice which is collected through Amrit Surabhi and Anna pooja to Balwadi children, old poor people and also the following institutions, educational institutions etc.,

    2.Sri Saratha Devi Anbu Illam, Nagercoil - 100 Kg.

    3. Yogiram Surathkumar Trust, Ramnagar, Peyode - 100 Kg.

    4.Dharma Paribalana Arakattalai, Azhaganvilai - 50 Kg.

    5.Balwadi child and Grannies

28. Annual refresher course for all the Balwadi teachers was held at Kanyakumari from 30.06.2010 to 03.07.2010. 112 teachers and 6 supervisors participated in the camp. Practical training of making toys, study materials, from locally available materials was taught to the teachers. The teachers also enacted dramas, dances every day night.

29. 04.07.2010 at Kanyakumari. 700 people participated in that programme. Jagathguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal of Kanchi Mutt graced the occasion and Anna Poorna Stothram and slokas from Viswaroopa Dharshan Yoga of Bhagavad Gita were chanted. Dr. Godhanda Rama Rao handed over the rice to Shri D. Bhanudasji. Educational aids in the form of cash Rs.15,500/- were also distributed to the poor students belonging to Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram and Kanyakumari Districts which was sponsored by Shri Sreganesh Nandagopal of Puttaparthi. A sumptuous meal was provided to all the participants during lunch time. The workers performed cultural programme in that evening.

30. The workers in Rural Development Programme participated in the Annual Refresher course from 05.07.2010 to 08.07.2010 in which 37 workers, 2 life workers and a Sevavriti participated. The annual activities done in the respective centres were presented through selected songs, street plays, lectures. Group discussions, books reading were done by all the workers.

INSPIRING INCIDENTS

(from our balwadi teachers & workers)

1. V. Sarada, Teacher, North Peyankuzhy ::

Swami Vivekananda Jayanthi was observed on 29.03.2010 in our Balwadi. Balwadi children performed to traditional dance. The children were instructed to bring flowers. All the children brought flowers. One child’s father brought lot of flowers. But that child head was shaved. So we enquired her father why so much flowers were brought by her. The father replied, you distribute the excess flowers to the children who are needy. He took photographs of all the children. He remarked on seeing the performance, that the children did a good job. If I could have known that earlier I would have made arrangements to Videograph the programme. Though he belonged to another religion, his remarks encouraged us.

2. K. Muthu Kavitha, Arumugapatti, Tirunelveli District ::

Muthu Ganesh a crèche child saves the money given to him for purchasing snacks. Creche has given him the saving habit.

3. T. Kasthuribai, Asarikudivilai, Kanyakumari District ::

I met Sasikala a former crèche student who has completed her graduation and who is now training to be a teacher. I could not recognize her. But she told me that she cannot forget me as a cultural class teacher whose stories she still remembers. A ten year break has not erased her sweet memories.

4. C. Jegathambika, Teacher, Peyankuzhy ::

Sindhu one of the students who earlier studied in our Balwadi at Peyankuzhy is studying IInd standard now. When I was going to my house I saw Sindhu’s brother making a Ganapathy idol. I interacted with Sindhu’s mother. On seeing this Sindhu said provide a chair to our teacher let her sit and talk. The quality of giving respect to the teacher imbibed in her touched me.

5. P. Kalaivani, Keelakottai, Ramnad District ::

We teach the children to respect their parents; A crèche child’s mother came to report to us that every day her child touches her parents’ feet immediately after getting up.

6. M. Subaja, Peyankuzhy ::

I was a student of Vivekananda Kendra Balwadi 19 years ago. I also became a Religious class teacher. Now I am working in Kendra office as a Social worker cum typist. Swami Vivekananda Jayanthi Day and Panguni Uthiram festival were celebrated on 29.03.2010 at North Peyankuzhy Balwadi. 34 different programmes were performed. I was given the responsibility of compeering the programme. I was bit afraid and nervous initially. I believed in myself and did the job without any tension. The words of Swamiji, confidence, confidence in myself, confidence in God were echoing us me. During Prize distribution, I was also called by the village leader. I am thankful to Vivekananda Kendra and Almighty for giving such an opportunity.

Yours

In the Service of Lord

(S. AYYAPPAN)

VKRDP : THOOTHUKUDI, INDIA

web : http://www.vkrdp.org