A visit to Sree Sarada Sevashram at Mannivakkam off Vandalur, Chennai

Dear (s)

the real hero standing tall

Today read a news item that Volkswagen Group company Bugatti Automobiles has launched its  super premium sports car 'Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport'.  The young generation wants more and want the very best, raising the benchmark all the time.  This luxury car is perhaps the most expensive car to hit the Indian roads.  Bugatti is a great name in America, Europe and the Middle East and the Indians should not be left behind in enjoying the best of the world.

The  Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport is  priced at Rs 16 crore onwards; earlier the most expensive cars in India have been the Rolls Royce Phantom and the Maybach, which are priced around Rs 5 crore..  The Bugatti Veyron is also the fastest car that is allowed to be driven on normal roads with a top speed of 407 kmph with acceleration of 0-100 in 2.7 seconds.  Amazing.    They sell around 80 units a year globally and India will soon be on this map, which is no mean achievement. 

There cannot be any qualm in somebody spending their well-gotten riches in the manner they like.  It is their life, their wealth and their way of life.

The modern world is very demanding –even school kids know what they want – mostly going by comparison and they do not settle for anythingless than what they dream of.  They have clarity in thoughts and expression, express their demands, vociferous and adamant and would settle for only the exact thing that they thought of.   Generation shift – again there cannot be much complaints.

India lives in rural villages which are still under developed – children there are poor, are not accustomed to the luxury elsewhere available.  Many struggle to get quality food, lack basic amenities.  Even in big cities there exists poor  disproportionately  and they do not have access to basic care.   The middle class community is slowly vanishing – they spend their life dreaming of becoming rich all the time – chasing the vanity, spending all the available money and ending up spendthrifts not able to balance their wants and needs. 

the inmates.......

If life span could be broken to periods- after the age of youth,  the earlier generation was trying to save their earning for posterity as the threat of future was looming large.  Now they want to enjoy themselves too..  there is so much greed and avarice and people want everything for themselves.   In  the city, everywhere you turn, you can top achievers smiling, walking or profile of them speaking on cell phones - they are the ones of Actors, Politicians, Contractors and other rich men.  Now that seems to the defintion of achievers.  In olden days, a lawyer, a Police man, Collector, Doctor, School Teacher, Professor were the ones most respected (not in the same order) - things have changed a lot and you need to be running at a pace to remain constant at the same place.

There are still some who think of others and do something for the betterment of the underprivileged.  Life at 40 can be very exasperating. The man, we met on Sunday is very different.  At the prime of his youth, he joined Ramakrishna Ashram, elected his way of life – went to Himalayas – learnt Yoga and stayed there for some years only to return back to the city to establish and run an Ashram for Orphans and less privileged children. 

the playing field

kudil where Swami stays

the requirements listed out

SYMA organised a trip to the abode of this Sanyasi at Mannivakkam, near Vandalur, not far away from the hustlings of the city.   At Sree Sarada Sevashram, we were afforded a very warm welcome by the young Sri Sadhu Yoga Kumar.  A group of youngmen, G Raghuraman, N Chandrasekaran, Vijaya Selvaraj and B Kumara Gurubaran who have been assisting and running the affairs of the Sevashram were also present.  They are the people inspired by the great souls who have lived in this great country have founded and are running Sree Sarada Sevashram which follows the ideals of Bhagwan Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. Their aim is to make lives purposeful. This home set up in a not so sprawling but enough premises is situated at  Mannivakkam and has been functioning since 2006. Sree Sarada Sevashram is a home of peace and tranquility; one for the betterment and happy life of Orphans, Poor and destitute children. Inside the home all inmates are of the same family; the Ashram provides food, shelter and valuable education to our children, and ensure that they become very good citizens in future. It is not merely providing food or shelter, it is farming their lives and making them live happily in

realization of a great future. The children in the Ashram follow a disciplined life. They have their daily prayer, practice Yoga, meditation, agnihothram, Bhagwad Gita chanting and attend spiritual classes. They are inculcated the high ideals of Great Yogis of India like Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and the like.

Everything is so clean and neat there. Swamiji is clear in his ideals and

thoughts and says with compassion that they don’t really require more than what is needed. The requirements are clearly spelt out and a list of the same is there on the walls of the Ashram. SYMA members spent time interacting, playing and entertaining the children there.  We did assist them in some small measure by providing some provisions, pillows, mats, pillow covers, bed sheets, notebooks, pens, buckets, and money for feeding all the children for a day.  It was a happy time for all of us who had been there.  We also distributed chocolates and sweets to the children.

Request you also to visit the Ashram whenever your time permits.  You can also partake in running the Ashram by providing contributions. The communication address of our Ashram is :

SREE SARADA SEVASHRAM , Regd. No. 751/IV – 2006 , No.1/3 North Mada Street, Mannivakkam, (Near Siva Temple), Chennai – 600 048 , P: 044 2275 0012 ; M 99402 08225

Yours Truly with Sadhu Yoga Kumar.

More than the money, the Ashram Management and Children would be too happy if more people visit them. It was really a satisfying day and we returned with hearts imbued with a sense of fulfillment of having done at least a very small part to an Organisation, which is being run with utmost care and dedication.   For more details of the Organisation, please see :  http://sreesaradasevashram.blogspot.com/

Sarve Janas sukhino bavandhu.

Regards – Sampathkumar S