Express press service
CHENNAI: The year was 2000 when N Annapurna first heard of a humble charitable trust operating from a rented building in Kasuva village in Thiruninravur, about 40 km west of Chennai. A budding urge to serve society prompted her to reach out to the fledgling organization doing commendable social service. The organization was only twelve years old at the time and its humble beginnings, Annapurna delicately puts it, heralds an impressive commitment to community service, a deep-rooted desire for collective growth. 34 years on the road since its inception in 1988, the Sevalaya Charitable Trust now operates in 10 districts across 16 centres.
At Kasuva’s Sevalaya, patience and perseverance seem to have paid off in charitable style. Spread over 18 acres of lush land, it’s nothing short of an ode to wellness pursuits. Today, Sevalaya boasts of a school, hostels for boys and girls, a retirement home, a community college, a clinic, a mobile medical van and a goshala. Annapurna is now the honorary director of the campus.
At a time when parents forced children to work in brick kilns, V Muralidharan, the founder of Sevalaya, and volunteers stepped in to intervene. “Before, our volunteers and the founder used to visit every house in the village and ask parents to send their children to school. They would reply that the children will only be sent to school if the organization compensates the wages earned by the children,” said Vijaya, the campus school principal. Child labor and marriage are no longer prevalent in these villages.
More than 2,000 students study for free at the Sevalaya School in Kasuva, of whom more than 400 stay in the hostels. They are provided with green and nutritious food. Most of the students housed in hostels do not have parents, revealed Sankarapandian, a physical education coach at the school.
Therefore, the elderly residing at the nursing home were asked to take care of five children each. Students visit them every day after class and a strong, family bond develops between them,” he said.
Besides studies, students are involved in sports, with many entering colleges or being placed through sports quotas, he added. Sevalaya owes the credit for its success to its transparency, which has closely maintained donor confidence. Annapurna, who was also an administrator, said the school was just a small building in the 2000s. “Every time we received a donation, a classroom was built. We were also the first to introduce Montessori education in primary grades and fund higher education for children who were unable to afford fees,” Annapurna said.
The teachers, the students claim, were super friendly and dear to heart, and “they were always there to help whenever needed.” S Inbavel, one of the top scorers in this year’s Class 12 exams, opened up about his ambitions and the support he has received. “I want to pursue artificial intelligence. My parents are day laborers. Teachers here have encouraged me to carefully choose a course that promises a good future and allows me to support my family,” he said.
“The Kasavu center is our biggest. All centers have community colleges. Based on the request of donors and supporters, we have run nursing homes in Thanjavur and Dharmapuri. We are also providing free breakfast to government school children in Thanjavur,” Annapurna added.
Sevalaya simply did not limit its growth to the education sector alone. Health care was given the same weight and priority. The clinic located on campus is equipped with a physiotherapy unit, with ophthalmological and dental check-ups provided once a week for patients.
In addition, the mobile medical unit travels daily to nearby villages to treat patients who have difficulty moving around. Anyway, at the community college, people over the age of 18 can enroll in various courses including sewing, carpentry, baking, electrical. , nursing, beautician and e-publishing.
CHENNAI: The year was 2000 when N Annapurna first heard of a humble charitable trust operating from a rented building in Kasuva village in Thiruninravur, about 40 km west of Chennai. A budding urge to serve society prompted her to reach out to the fledgling organization doing commendable social service. The organization was only twelve years old at the time and its humble beginnings, Annapurna delicately puts it, heralds an impressive commitment to community service, a deep-rooted desire for collective growth. 34 years on the road since its inception in 1988, the Sevalaya Charitable Trust now operates in 10 districts across 16 centres. At Kasuva’s Sevalaya, patience and perseverance seem to have paid off in charitable style. Spread over 18 acres of lush land, it’s nothing short of an ode to wellness pursuits. Today, Sevalaya boasts of a school, hostels for boys and girls, a retirement home, a community college, a clinic, a mobile medical van and a goshala. Annapurna is now the honorary director of the campus. At a time when parents forced children to work in brick kilns, V Muralidharan, the founder of Sevalaya, and volunteers stepped in to intervene. “Before, our volunteers and the founder used to visit every house in the village and ask parents to send their children to school. They would reply that the children will only be sent to school if the organization compensates the wages earned by the children,” said Vijaya, the campus school principal. Child labor and marriage are no longer prevalent in these villages. More than 2,000 students study for free at the Sevalaya School in Kasuva, of whom more than 400 stay in the hostels. They are provided with green and nutritious food. Most of the students housed in hostels do not have parents, revealed Sankarapandian, a physical education coach at the school. Therefore, the elderly residing at the nursing home were asked to take care of five children each. Students visit them every day after class and a strong, family bond develops between them,” he said. Besides studies, students are involved in sports, with many entering colleges or being placed through sports quotas, he added. Sevalaya owes the credit for its success to its transparency, which has closely maintained donor confidence. Annapurna, who was also an administrator, said the school was just a small building in the 2000s. “Every time we received a donation, a classroom was built. We were also the first to introduce Montessori education in primary grades and fund higher education for children who were unable to afford fees,” Annapurna said. The teachers, the students claim, were super friendly and dear to heart, and “they were always there to help whenever needed.” S Inbavel, one of the top scorers in this year’s Class 12 exams, opened up about his ambitions and the support he has received. “I want to pursue artificial intelligence. My parents are day laborers. Teachers here have encouraged me to carefully choose a course that promises a good future and allows me to support my family,” he said. “The Kasavu center is our biggest. All centers have community colleges. Based on the request of donors and supporters, we have run nursing homes in Thanjavur and Dharmapuri. We are also providing free breakfast to government school children in Thanjavur,” Annapurna added. Sevalaya simply did not limit its growth to the education sector alone. Health care was given the same weight and priority. The clinic located on campus is equipped with a physiotherapy unit, with ophthalmological and dental check-ups provided once a week for patients. In addition, the mobile medical unit travels daily to nearby villages to treat patients who have difficulty moving around. Anyway, at the community college, people over the age of 18 can enroll in various courses including sewing, carpentry, baking, electrical. , nursing, beautician and e-publishing.
