Where it all began

What is remarkable about the initial poem by Bharathiar that impressed a buoyant and curious Muralidhran on Saraswathi pooja day was that the great poet did not talk of abolishing Saraswathi puja but talked of how to make it more authentic by educating even one child. What is striking about this poem is not its inherent beauty because all Bharathiar’s poems had a grandiose beauty but how counter inter intuitive it is. It talks about how to amicably join traditions to build a richer society rather than making one tradition predominant as most writers want to do by taking an either/or stand.

To mutter a few old mantras

And with flowers and sandalwood

Bedeck a stack of palm leaves

Is of time and thought a waste

In every house a light of learning

In every street a school or two

Throughout the land in every town

A multitude of schools

Where there is no research

To consign that place to the fire

Is the best way to win her favour

The nectar of our desire

Raising groves of rare fruit trees

Digging wells and tanks for water

Founding dharamshalas and temples

And other such charities that bring

Great glory to one’s name forever

None of these has merit

Like making yonder poor man literate

Let the wealthy give heaps of gold

And those who are poor small charity

The orator’s words,the labourer’s

From each what he can arrange

Women whose speech is honey sweet

Speak in praise of Goddess Vani

Giving and doing all we can

Let us plant and tend this tree

The service of Saraswati!

Unemployed BE finds a career in E publishing

Iswarya is an engineering graduate who was not able to find any job, despite her engineering degree. Her father was a salesperson and her mother a homemaker. She has an elder sister and a younger brother. The family lived in Redhills.

It was in one of her routine travel to an interview, she met a staff of Sevalaya at a bus stop. She came to know about the free course in E-publishing offered by Sevalaya’s Community College in Ambattur.

“I was desperately looking for a job. When I came to know that Sevalaya is offering free course and also assuring placement, I thought of giving it a try as I had nothing to lose and everything to gain if I got a job as promised. I went to the college the next day and learnt all about the E publishing course and its scope. Then I decided to join” says Iswarya.

“The course was for 3 months. Apart from the subject, we were also taught yoga, craft making, and spoken English. There were many guest lectures and industrial visits. I got more exposure during this course, than during my engineering course. As a part of the course, I did internship at Flatirons Jouve, the technical partner of Sevalaya.

On successful completion of the course, I got a job offer from Flatirons Jouve with a good salary package. Within a short period, I proved my worth by my sincere work and won the Shining Star of the year Award. In fact, I have won this award twice.  

I am thankful to Sevalaya for the opportunity provided to me and to many more underprivileged youngsters like me. Sevalaya has changed my life and I am proud to say that I was a student of Sevalaya.” says a beaming Iswarya

Continuing the chain of compassion

Srimathi S hails from a small town in Trichy District. Her parents are daily wage earners. She completed XII Std in the Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School in that small town. '' I had no conducive atmosphere at home to study nor did I get any proper guidance from the school regarding choice of course for higher studies or any career counselling” says Srimathi.

Despite these disadvantages, she has a very bright academic record. She stood third in school with a score of 90% in X Std and was the school topper in XII with 90%. “I owe all this to my mentor Parvathy V Iyer. She was a resident of my town. In the evenings she used to provide space in her house for many poor school children to study. Everyday evening many children will gather in her house to complete homework and study. I was one of them. She provided snacks to all of us and also talked to us about the importance of education, how we should focus on studies and come up in life with good careers. Her care and affection helped me to study properly and set my life goals." she observes.

She completed B.Sc Maths from a college in Trichy and secured second rank in the University with 93%. While pursuing degree course she was selected as an apprentice trainee by Wipro. Wipro had introduced this programme for rural students. "I shifted to Chennai. Monday to Friday I attended Wipro training. On weekends I attended classes for MS Degree of BITS, PILANI. I was paid a stipend by Wipro as also the fee for the course. I passed MS with 73% After my contract period with WIPRO, I changed companies and now I am a Senior Software Engineer in Panasonic, Singapore.

I was introduced to Sevalaya by K Muthuramakrishnan, relative of my mentor Parvathy V Iyer. I am impressed by the services of Sevalaya for the underprivileged kids. I know how much it means to them. If proper guidance is given to rural underprivileged students, they will shine in any field. I am a living example for that. I have resolved to support Sevalaya. I wish Sevalaya Godspeed", concludes Srimathi.

Sevalaya success story 5

As a child P Manickam (name changed) was brought to Swami Vivekananda Boys Home in May 2015, after being referred by District Child Protection Officer, M S Syed Rawoof. He enrolled in Sevalaya’s Mahakavi Bharathiyar Community College and was trained in A/C and refrigeration.

A Std IX drop-out and in conflict with law, P Manickam came from a broken home and his mother was the sole bread winner. When he came to Sevalaya he was an addict of paan and other tobacco products. It was difficult to handle his tantrums in the hostel, as he was finding it difficult to get rid of his habits. He would get into altercations with his roommates, and his personality was very different from other boys. Care was taken to ensure that his habits did not spread to other boys staying in the hostel; the matrons in the hostel monitored his well-being throughout the day. Regular counselling was given to him by a professional at the hostel, which thankfully made a great impact in his life. Constant monitoring and mentoring worked wonders for P Manickam, who was then sent for a one-month internship in Control Engineering, Guindy. After completing his internship, he was placed in a public sector undertaking, where he is now a trainee service engineer.

Sevalaya has turned Manickam’s life around for the better and we wish Manickam him all the best.

Sevalaya Success Story 4

Rare are people who come from impoverished families, yet always manage to find hope, gather strength, and overcome their difficult circumstances. In Sevalaya, we find many such children who have grown successfully and inspired others to do the same. One such person is R. Devi, a daughter of migrant construction labourers.

Joining the police force has been her dream ever since childhood. Devi came to Sevalaya School in Std. III; she was a quiet, determined and a hard-working girl with a flair for mathematics. She passed class X with 80%, scoring 100 in Mathematics. Devi went on to choose bio maths and passed Std XII securing 77%. Through Sevalaya she gained a scholarship in Murugappa polytechnic college and completed her diploma in Computer Science. This helped her get a job in a leading BPO. Furthermore, having a great passion for sports, Ms Devi has won several prizes. She never gave up on her dream of becoming a police officer, in fact this ambition became stronger every day. She filled the required forms from the Central Reserve Police Force and vigorously practiced for the physical fitness tests. She took the tests in 2011, however was unable to attain a merit seat. But she never gave up. Persistently, she tried again and finally got through in 2013. Once a shy girl, who struggled with communication, Devi can now speak three languages, Tamil, English and Hindi.

Sevalaya Success Story 3

Ashok Shankar was born in a poor agriculture coolie family in a village near Sevalaya. His parents didn’t have the means to send him to school and educate him. Without the timely intervention of Sevalaya, Ashok would have ended up as a child labourer. However, he took Std X and Std XII Board exams at Sevalaya School and scored very high marks. He achieved second position in the school in 12th grade, scoring 1098 out of 1200. His Maths teacher, who despite being sick, came to school and took classes so that his students didn’t suffer, inspired Ashook to be a dedicated student and aim high – thus he scored 199 out of 200 in Maths. This impressive score enabled him to get a place in Anna University on the merit list to study electronics and communication engineering.

Ashok was deeply moved by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings and started reading more about him in Sevalaya’s library. He understood the power of meditation and he says that helped him in developing a good memory.

He did well in Anna University, completing the course with good scores. He got his first job in Lionbridge technologies and started making small contributions to Sevalaya, while taking an active part in Alumni association. After a year, he got an offer from Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTS). When he got his first salary, he donated the entire amount to Sevalaya. Part of his generous donation will support the education of children who are facing the same position he did. An inspiring example of what goes around comes around.

Sevalaya success story 2

G Kavitha, a Std XII student, was declared district champion with three gold medals – in 200 Metre sprint, Long jump and Triple jump. Previously she had been interested in sports, but she never realized her potential until the Sevalaya sports department and Physical Instructor spotted her talents. Subsequently, Sevalaya staff motivated Kavitha by encouraging her to follow a strict exercise regime, showing her videos of famous Indian and International sports stars and their achievements. Kavitha’s commitment to her training resulted in a succession of medals in 2016 – she won a medal for every event in which she competed. She was later declared the champion in her age category at the Sports Development Authority of Tamilnadu (SDAT) tournament in Thiruvallur. Now, Kavitha has set her eyes on a sub 24 second 200 metre race.
Apart from the training regimen of a minimum of two hours per day, Sevalaya provides her with nutritious food, and sports gear with spikes and jerseys. Coming from an underprivileged background has not limited Kavitha’s success, thanks to the complete backing of her parents and support from the training staff at Sevalaya.