Satsang Seva Journal

The Precilla Old Age Home, situated in Habsiguda, Hyderabad, shelters a tiny group of 10 inmates, 6 women and 4 men who are well into their 80s. Ms. Premila, the founder of this old age, used to run a beauty salon and managed to successfully run the Home with the proceeds earned through this salon. During the lockdown, she was forced to close her salon and her meagre savings had placed her in a precarious position.  The manager of the Old Age Home, Mr. Vinod sought the help of the Satsang Seva Mission team to provide dry rations. The team members visited the Home on 28 July 2021 and handed over provisions that would take care of their requirements for two weeks. The beaming smiles of the inmates and their loving blessings simply made the day for the team members.

Meet Padma — a gentle and gracious lady whose humble exterior belies a courageous and compassionate heart.  Padma used to work in a bookstore in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh until the pandemic put an end to her livelihood. Being the sole breadwinner and caregiver to her family comprising her differently abled husband, her young son who's studying in Grade 7, and her aged mother-in-law, Padma faced several hurdles to provide for her family. In sheer desperation, she posted a request on the Facebook page of The Satsang Foundation, asking for help with dry provisions and groceries. A team member of the Satsang Seva Mission, Visakhapatnam, in coordination with the Hyderabad team, immediately arranged for dry provisions for a month and delivered them personally to Padma on 16 July 2021. Padma and her family were delighted beyond words! They were expecting only a few items and were extremely grateful to have received an abundant supply to meet their basic requirements for the month ahea

Individual requests for help are quite uncommon even during these trying times. Therefore, when Sharadha Devi contacted one of the team members of the Satsang Seva Mission, Hyderabad, she received immediate help and support. Sharadha Devi's husband, the sole breadwinner of a family of five, had lost his job at a garments store and the family was left with a dwindling supply of dry rations. The SSM team members made arrangements for a month's supply of dry provisions such as rice, wheat flour, lentils, and cooking oil and handed them over to her on 10 July 2021. The joy and relief at receiving the groceries and the thought that her family would have a good meal after several days was evident on her face. The team members who interacted with her acknowledged her sheer courage, dedication, and selfless love for her family's well-being.

When the pandemic struck, Satya Devi was swept away by its destructive wave, struggling to find sustainable employment. She is a single parent who has been trying to provide for the needs of her two children ever since her husband walked out on the family. After selling a plot of land that she had inherited in her village a few years ago, she somehow managed to supplement her meagre income and enable the education of her daughter and son thus far.  Education is the beacon light of hope for a better future for parents like her who wish to ensure that their children escape the trap of poverty and aspire to a life of secure employment. It is with this singular purpose that Satya Devi has striven to prioritize her children's education over everything else. Her daughter is studying engineering and her son, Bhanu Teja, is now in the 9th Grade in a school located in Hyderabad.  However, owing to the uncertainty of the past year and a half, her work of tailoring was proving to be unstable,

  Amma Sri Devi, who provides care and shelter for 110 elderly inmates (56 women and 54 men), is one of several individuals whose work was stopped in its tracks because of the ongoing pandemic. Regular donors of provisions and essential supplies had dwindled and she had to resort to seeking alms from local inhabitants to eke out basic provisions required to sustain her cherished family.     A SSM volunteer's visit to the home revealed the precarious condition of its inhabitants. Within a week's time the SSM Hyderabad team was able to procure a month's supply of rice, cooking oil, semolina, lentils, sugar and spices. Detergents, soaps, and cleaning solutions were also included at the request of the inmates.     Team members delivered this consignment on July 3, 2021 in the face of tremendous odds: the local vendor tested COVID positive; Amma Sri Devi met with an accident and suffered a head injury; and the new vendor's credentials had to be verified.     The team found t