Question from Murali Krishna: Reply to Mani

[Guest guest]

>> does a single Sri Vaishnava group gather able-bodied youth

>> and go do humanitarian service work in a Dalit (or any)

>> downtrodden or impoverished village?

 

Yes. There are many unsung Heroes among Sri Vaishnavas doing

utmost service to the mankind. Let me reproduce an article

which appeared in Indian Express in March 1998.

 

*********

 

"Somewhere around midnight the telephone in the bedroom of

his Chromepet residence rings incessantly. He attends the

call, assures the caller of all possible help and pages his

driver. Within a few minutes, the driver is at the door ready

with the mortuary van. Together they speed out in the darkness

of the night to the death house. A dead body of a poor family,

which has no money to seek other alternatives, has to be taken

to a remote district in the state and there is hardly any time

to be lost.

 

For 59 year old- G. Raghavan, managing trustee of Shree Gayethri

Trust it is another day in his life. Another day, another death.

Shri G.Raghavan a retired official of The Telephone Department,

hailing from an orthodox Vaishnavite family has helped 500 (till 1998)

families bear the burden of their grief.

 

With the blessings of HH Kanchi Paramacharya and HH Srimad Andavan

Swamigal of Srirangam, Gayethri Trust was started in 1983 to lend a

helping hand to the poor irrespective of caste, creed, sex or

religion. The trust deals with matters of life as well as death. Like

sustaining the ailing and helping the dead get a decent burial or

cremation.

 

 

Mr. Raghavan says that he has performed a number of 'Govinda kolli'

lighting the pyre for unclaimed bodies. One one occassion the body of

an AIDS victim was rejected by her family and he lit the pyre (Those

who frequented Tambaram Sanatorium railway station in '99 would recall

a cancer inflicted bank manager dumped by his orthodox Srirangam

SriVaishnavite family lying uncared and unattended for days on the

railway station. They did not even have the time to admit him in

the hospital run by Sri Gayethri Trust).

 

Sri Gayethri Trust has

- a Gnanavapi in Lakshmipuram, Chromepet. This is made available to

the deserving poor, who have no means to pay, at free of cost.

- Karumadhi Building to cater to people of all communitites

- Mortuary van

- Hotline where poor people can call up to carry the dead bodies of

orphans and poor from the place of death to the burning/burial

grounds and perform the funerals **as per their customs, at free of

cost***. The only requirement is that there must be phone call to the

Trust on such situation.

- Cremation Ghat

- Cancer Terminal Care Centre

- Cancer screening programme

- Conducted 100s of marriages for the poor

- Provided scholarships for poor students in government schools.

 

 

Sri Raghavan is working hard to construct an electric crematorium

in Chromepet. This is expected to cost Rs. 3 crore. But Raghavan is

not worried.

"One of the first donations I recvd. in the initial days was from

a woman in Nagercoil. She sent **Rs/- 1.50** through money order

after reading about me in a newspaper. There are still enough

generous people in the world. It is the poor who contribute more

than the rich".

 

**************

 

Im not sure how many SriVaishnavas would have read my message

this far. If you have my thanks to you. If you get a chance, do

meet up with Sri Raghavan and atleast give him your encouragement.

BTW I dont think contributions to His trust are exempt from US tax.

 

Shree Gayethri Trust

Plot No 45 Lakshminagar

Chromepet

Madras 600 044.

Phone : 91-44-236 4777.

[Guest guest]

adiyaen writes:

> >> does a single Sri Vaishnava group gather able-bodied youth

> >> and go do humanitarian service work in a Dalit (or any)

> >> downtrodden or impoverished village?

>

> Yes. There are many unsung Heroes among Sri Vaishnavas doing

> utmost service to the mankind. Let me reproduce an article

> which appeared in Indian Express in March 1998.

 

I am overjoyed to be corrected by you and Varadhan. I hope

more people take inspiration from these selfless individuals

and extend bhAgavata-kainkarya to all beings.

 

My revered acharya Sri Rangapriya Swami is fond of quoting the

following sloka as the basis for social service in Vedanta:

 

carAcarANi bhUtAni sarvANi bhagavad-vapuH |

atas tad AnukUlyam me kartavyam iti niScayaH ||

 

All beings -- the immobile as well as the mobile --

are found in the body of the Lord. Therefore

let it be absolutely without doubt that one must act

with their well-being in mind.

 

To Sri Nadadur Madhavan: Please forgive me for prolonging

this discussion, for I feel it is an important one. We must

fully explore the notion of kainkarya and dharma. Let it be

clear that no particular organization is being criticized or

indicted in this discussion. It is a general topic applicable

to all of us as Sri Vaishnavas.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

Mani