I am delighted to participate in the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of the Shraddhanand Mahilashram and to interact with the women and children of the Ashram. I am happy that the Ashram is providing a helping hand to the socially challenged women and children with care and kindness. This is a greatest service to the humanity and therefore God will be always with you.

Children are our greatest wealth. Every child born in the nation should be allowed to blossom. It is particularly important to provide extra care and facilities to the children, including the differently challenged, who are not fortunate to have their families to look after them. This noble service should be promoted by all individuals with the help of NGOs and government organizations, leading to the development of enlightened citizens who will become an asset for national development. It is heartening to know that the Ashram has contributed significantly in the field of ?Child Welfare?. When I see the great service the Ashram is rendering to the society I was thinking what I can share with you in this godly environment. Therefore I have selected the topic ?God?s Presence and Grace?

God?s Creation

AWAIYAR KURAL

It is rare to be born as a human being

It is still more rare to be born without any deformity

Even if you are born without any deformity

It is rare to acquire knowledge and education

Even if one could acquire knowledge and education

It is still rare to offer service to the mankind and contemplate on the higher self.

If one leads such a selfless divine life

The gates of heaven opens to greet such an evolved soul.

Even a child is physically or mentally challenged, today science and technology is providing solutions either to rectify or to provide support to carry out near normal functioning of a human body. But the more important thing is to provide the environment to these girl children and women to acquire knowledge with properly designed education system and training, so that they become useful citizens in the society. This will make them to follow a righteous life to attain the greatness of the human birth as enunciated in the poem by Awaiyar. So every life has the opportunity to attain that greatness. I can see this godly environment here. I complement the Ashram for this great service to the society.

Mutual emotional support

In the entire process of evolution of a child to an enlightened citizen, a mother plays a fundamental role. With mother?s love, compassion, caring, guidance and support at every point of time, the child gets strength and confidence to achieve success in all fields. I feel the women associated with this Ashram can extend this compassion, care and support to the children. By doing so, not only the children will be benefited but the women will also get a new joy and a feeling of satisfaction. This type of mutual emotional support provides stable rehabilitation for women and children.

Education with value system

After every child is nurtured at the early age with love and affection, the child grows to a school going age and needs a value based education. At this point of time the education system must enhance their overall learning process. Though the whole learning process takes place in the school and the value addition is provided by the Ashram authorities, senior inmates and the teacher. The learning should be based on enquiry and use of new education gadgets. Ethics of giving to others is cultivated by asking the question how one?s learning can benefit others? How one can contribute to her own development and at the same time to the development of others? For imbibing Moral development, righteousness, hard work and commitment to a cause larger than oneself need to be emphasized, while keeping in mind our cultural and value systems.

Working towards self sustenance ? Child to Youth

After completing the phase of basic general education, the girl goes through vocational training programme which will enable the girl/woman to seek either self employment or employment in certain establishments. This has to be done keeping in mind the aptitude of the girl and the needs of such skills for the occupation. The emphasis should be on to make every woman educated and economically self dependent as early as possible. This can be achieved by having structured vocational training programmes within the campus. This will facilitate their rehabilitation in various fields such as nursing teaching, tailoring, fashion designing, handicrafts etc. This is a stage in which the woman can be sent to some Youth Hostels for her stay. This will provide the youth a standing direction which will promote her growth and enable her to become an enlightened citizen.

Towards a quality life

In addition to providing emotional support we need to find avenues through which the women can contribute to the societal needs. While they are working the women can be encouraged to pursue higher studies or training in the field of their choice. Providing education, training, employment opportunity and arranging marriages of eligible women will collectively empower them to lead a quality life with self esteem and dignity.

The Ashram should become a ?Home away from home? for many of the inmates who have found new rehabilitation avenues. The Ashram as well as the inmates should maintain their umbilical connection and be of mutual help to each other. This connectivity with the Ashram should remain so that they are able to support the children financially and psychologically. This will further enable the new entrants to draw fresh inspiration and confidence to overcome the obstacles and inhibitions and prepare themselves for carving a better future.

Conclusion

When a child is empowered at various phases of growth, the child gets transformed into a responsible citizen. When the teacher is empowered with knowledge and experience, good young human beings with value systems take shape. When women are empowered, society with stability gets assured. During the last 75 years the Ashram has done pioneering service in the rehabilitation and welfare of women and children through multifaceted programmes and projects. I also find that the Ashram is undertaking three new projects namely, a Old Women?s Home, a Working Women?s Hostel and an Occupational Training Centre for differently challenged children. This is a noble service for which the nation is grateful to you. God Bless you.

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