SEVALAYA

HISTORY OF SEVALAYA

Inspired by Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi & Mahakavi Bharathi Sevalaya was founded by five young people - Mr. V. Muralidharan and his friends. It started functioning on May 29, 1988 with 5 children in a small rented house at Sivanvoil village. During 1990-91, with the support of philanthropic minded public, Sevalaya began operating its own premises situated in 1.52 acres of own land at Kasuva, a remote village near Chennai which did not have any medical and schooling facilities.


In 1991 Mahakavi Bharathiyar Kalvi Nilayam (School) was started. In 1993 Mahatma Gandhi Health Care Centre started functioning. During 1995-96 Swami Vivekananda Library was opened. All the above facilities are provided free of cost to all the villagers of Kasuva and neighboring villages.


Good citizens are essential for the welfare of the Nation. It is the duty of the parents to bring up their children to become such good citizens. For orphans, it becomes the duty of the society to take charge of them, give them shelter, love and affection, self-confidence and life-coping education. Without this support there is a risk that they will fall a prey to antisocial elements, and themselves become antisocial.

ACTIVITIES
Orphanage
The home for boys is named after Swami Vivekananda and the home for girls is named after Mother Teresa. They are cared for by dedicated and service minded staff. The children are brought up in an atmosphere free from preducides based on caste, creed, gender, language, religion, etc.

Our aim is to make the children self-reliant. We support them till they are on their own. We support their higher studies in ITI/Jr. College, etc till they find suitable employment. We constantly identify special talents(e.g., music, arts) in our children and encourage them in developing their talents.

School
Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School is a free school, from Balwadi (pre-K) to 12th std. for children of the home and from neighboring villages. The education is completely free. In addition text books, note book, uniforms and transport are provided free of charges to all. The school provides value-based education with special emphasis on craft-education to enable the children to become self-reliant. The children are imparted the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and Mahakavi Bharathi, who are the inspirers for the organization.

Medical Center
The Mahatma Gandhi Free Medical center provides health-care for the children & staff at the home. A full-time Nurse practitioner and a visiting doctor manage the center. The center is also open for all people from neighboring villages and provides much needed medical facilities free-of-charge. Periodic health camps are conducted by this center when a team of specialists visit and conduct check-ups. Follow-up action is taken by the nurse practitioner. An average of 150 patients visit each week. The center also administers/distributes medicines. Current year we plan to introduce the system of Indigenous Medicines in keeping with Gandhian Ideals and to grow medicinal plants in our Farm.

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Library
The Swami Vivekananda Library contains numerous books including rare volumes such as Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda. Several biographies of famous people, children's books, books on self-improvement, etc are available. TThe library also has a reading room and subscribes to magazines such as 'Wisdom' and 'Ramakrishna Vijayam'. The library is open for the people from Kasuva & other nearby villages.


Goshala
Vinobhaji Goshala is a haven for cows. We rear cows which provide good milk for the children. We also protect cows that have out-lived their period of "utility" and will otherwise be destined for the slaughter-house. The output of milk produced is used for our children and senior citizens. The surplus milk is sold in the villages for a reasonable price. This serves the twin purpose of providing quality milk to our inmates as well as villagers as also as a first step towards self-sufficiency.


Old Age Home
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Old Age Home inaugurated on February 2 2002 is a home for destitute and poor senior citizens. It is a Home with a difference. In that the inmates are not a self-pitying, depressed lot. They participate, in whatever little way they can, in the activities of this self reliant community. We have a home that is designed to accommodate 60 senior citizens. The building and the infra structure were financed by the People of Japan through the Consul General of Japan at Chennai


Craft Training Centre
In our Kasturiba Gandhi Craft Training Centre, poor women from the villages around are taught tailoring. Women trained by us so far earn their livelihood, by working either independently or in garment factories. In the current year we are planning to conduct classes in Screen Printing, Book Binding, Cover Making, etc., in addition.


Other services
Training and Development: We organize annual camps on Mahatama Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and Mahakavi Bharathiar. We conduct training programmes on values of these great leaders in schools and near by villages. We conduct seminars on themes like Prohibition, Basic Education, Communal Harmony, etc in association with other likeminded institutions. Personality Development Programmes are conducted for our staff members. We also conduct free computer training, typewriting classes which also fetches job oppurtunities.

Bharathi 2000 : A free correspondence course on Bharathi on the Life and Works of Bharathi is conducted by us with the students of Junior College as our target group. General members of the public also participate in the course and find it useful.

Address:
Kasuva Village, Pakkam PO,
Near Thiruninravur 602 024,
Tamil Nadu, India
Phone :
9444346699
9444620286
9444620289
26344243 (campus)
26346162 (old age home)
E-mail : sevalaya@vsnl.com
visit us at : www.sevalaya.org

Managing Trustee’s residence :
F2, Jain Eden park,
4 Judge Jambulingam Road,
Mylapore, Chennai – 600 004