Satsang Seva Journal

The Mathru Abhaya Foundation, situated at Medipally in North-East Hyderabad, is an orphanage that houses 55 residents ranging in age from a tender 5 years to adolescents and young adults. The young boys and girls live in separate homes and receive food, shelter, education, and medical care. Team SSM Hyderabad has been associated with this safe haven since the past one year and supported these precious children regularly through the provision of dry rations, cooked meals, warm clothing, stationery, and school bags. In continuation of their commitment the team members decided to provide dry rations and essential items every month starting from the month of June 2022 for a period of six months. On 25th June 2022, the team members delivered the first monthly contribution of cooking oil, lentils, vermicelli, spices, salt, sugar, onions, garlic, ginger, and a few cleaning products and toiletries. The co-founder Ms. R. Devi Ramesh and her wards in the girls' home welcomed the team members...

Love is a many-splendored thing that simply fills our hearts with untold joy! The eve of Valentine's Day, the 13th of February, turned out to be a true testimony of universal love and fraternity f or Team SSM Kolkata as they dedicated this occasion to the 30 elders and mentally challenged residents of Maa Kali Old Age Home located at Panch Sayer, South Kolkata. The team members handed over a week's supply of dry rations comprising wheat flour, refined flour, semolina, lentils, sugar, oil, soya chunks, biscuits, and chyawanprash , a dietary supplement and immunity booster. The residents of this safe haven accepted these essential items with a bemused disinterest as all eyes were glued to the team members who festooned their home with red balloons, played music, and set the stage for a euphoric celebration of love sans frontiers. Watch the video here. Merry singing and dancing to foot-stomping music with the team members and ecstatic applause followed. The residents then receive...

In pursuance of its constant efforts to serve the needy, Team SSM Bengaluru reached out to the pourakarmikas or municipal sweepers who work at Sir C.V. Raman General Hospital in Indiranagar, East Bengaluru. On the 3rd of February 2022, the team members distributed 40 dry ration kits which comprised  rice, wheat flour, lentils, semolina, salt, sugar, oil, and soap.  They ensured that each kit could sustain a family of four members for a fortnight. The warm smiles and quiet dignity of the pourakarmikas touched the hearts of the team members as they handed over the kits to them with the assistance of the hospital administrative personnel. The team members also expressed their gratitude to the volunteers and donors for their unflinching support.   If you wish to be a part of such initiatives but don't know where to start… click the link below to know more about our mission, volunteer programs, and donation campaigns: https://satsangsevamission.org/contribute

The SSM Kolkata team decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of the legendary leader Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose which is celebrated on the 22nd of January by offering their seva to the pavement dwellers who live near the Syed Ali Shah Baba Mazar and the Masjid-e-Mazhaar in the Hastings area. On the 23rd of January 2022, the team members offered their prayers at the mazar or tomb shrine of the Sufi saint Syed Ali Shah Baba and then distributed little bags filled with dry rations such as wheat flour, rice, pulses, refined oil, sugar, and salt; and staples such as milk powder, tea leaves, and muri . The youngest team member lovingly offered toffees and biscuits to the  children and went on to feed the pigeons their share of grain too! The final part of this seva comprised the distribution of warm clothes such as shawls and sweaters. Given that the team members had made these donations in kind, their hearts swelled with gratitude for having had the opportunity of helping their le...

SSM Kolkata has been closely associated with the Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashram which nurtures 48 orphan boys in its sanctuary and provides them food, shelter, and education. On the 20th of January 2022, the team members provided a week's supply of fresh vegetables, refined oil, eggs, and milk powder. During this visit, one of the members noticed that the children were walking around barefoot in the bitter cold.  She recalled that she had a few pairs of socks in her car's glove compartment. She fetched them immediately and lovingly pulled them over the bare feet of the little children. She then returned the following day with 30 pairs of socks for the rest of the children.  Watch the video here . The team members left the Ashram feeling much contentment and gratitude for being able to support even the most elementary needs of these little adorable 'stars' whose endearing smiles and polite demeanor are simply heartwarming.

The 6th of November marks the birthday of Sri M and is celebrated as Founder’s Day at The Satsang Foundation. Since Sri M holds the feeding of the poor as a divine service that merits immediate attention, the members of the Satsang Seva Mission in Tamil Nadu decided to set the wheels of the food distribution wagon in motion and ensured that delicious food reached orphanages and homes for the aged and the destitute all across the state. Destination Tirupur: The Seed Old Age Home at Avinashi has 55 inmates. Some of the SSM team members at Tirupur lovingly served them a festive meal while others reached out to about 37 seniors at Annaiyar Old Age Home at Perumanallur.  They then spent the entire day at Banyan Home, a sanctuary for mentally ill women and children and shared lunch and dinner with the 110 inmates who are sheltered here presently.    Team SSM at Tuticorin served up a delectable spread of idlis, vadas, and sambar for breakfast at Alex Kailasam Old Age Home. When...

Team SSM Kerala celebrated Sri M's Birth Anniversary on November 6th with the distribution of dry rations for the orphans, destitute, differently abled, aged and diseased served by the Hope Charitable Society in Pilathara, Kannur.     Besides providing meals, the society also provides  wheelchairs and free cataract surgery for the differently abled and aged. It also supports people in distress during any kind of natural disasters. The SSM team shared a happy and interactive time with the society members, remarking that it was a blessing to be of service on the occasion of Sri M's birth anniversary that is also celebrated as Founder's day at The Satsang Foundation.

The Chandigarh  Spinal Rehab Centre provides free treatment to  underprivileged patients and their attenders. However, during the pandemic, with the paucity of donations, Ms. Nicky Kaur, the CEO of this centre, reached out to the Satsang Seva Mission team at Chandigarh for assistance with dry rations. The team swung into action and provided 120 litres of refined, cooking oil and 70 kgs of sugar. Team SSM Chandigarh was extremely grateful that it was able to lend a hand in the provision of meals to the patients and their attenders.

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.

  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 Satsang Seva Mission team at Coimbatore had received a request from a local NGO called Sanskriti Foundation to provide dry rations to the inhabitants of a local slum s ituated in Gondi Colony. Since the sudden imposition of the lockdown and the surge in COVID cases during April 2021, several migrants and families of the differently-abled were suffering immensely and required immediate relief. The team members distributed dry ration kits consisting of rice, lentils, spices, and refined oil to 250 families on the 5th of June, 2021 in spite of the strict lockdown protocols. The migrants received their dry ration kits in an open arena while the families of the differently-abled received them at their homes. The recipients were immensely grateful for the swift response of the SSM team in addressing their dire need. 

Noida is home to a large migrant community that provides services as domestic workers, rickshaw pullers, and daily wage-workers in construction.  The construction community is particularly vulnerable as most of them are housed in temporary tenements and semi-finished buildings, several without family, being brought here by contractors who in turn, are unable to support them financially at present or send them home.  The plight of the workers is further compounded by their inability to access government ration programs or linked Aadhar card schemes.  Large numbers have decided to walk back home, driven by hunger.   The Noida Expressway is a location where stranded workers are being convinced to stay in place by the police, in labour camps.  Based on research in concert with the local police, we identified clusters in Sector 133 and 134 on Noida Expressway for distribution of dry rations.  The police have been instrumental in helping and feeding their co...

The Delhi Kendra SSM group has distributed dry rations for two weeks to 100 families of cancer patients, COVID patients and patients with Chronic Kidney Disease who have also tested positive for COVID, arriving from all over the country for treatment at the All India Institute for Medical Sciences and the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi over the 10th and 11th of May, 2021.  The families are either mostly living in Dharamshalas near the hospitals or even on pavements outside the hospitals with little or no access to food and essentials, given the curfew orders to contain the pandemic in the city. The distribution was done at the Dharamshalas and the Emergency wards of both hospitals where patients were awaiting treatment. Each dry ration pack contains 5kg Rice, 5 kg Atta, 1 Litre oil, 1 kg sugar, 250 gm tea, 250 gm salt, 2 kg Channa Dal, 100 gm turmeric, 1 Dettol Soap and 1 detergent for washing clothes.

At the height of the pandemic in May, 20 of the 32 women and girls resident at the Sri Padmavathi Educational Rural Development Society (SPERDS) in Medak, Telangana tested positive for COVID 19. The institution, dedicated to empowering orphan girls and destitute women, ensures that they are provided an education and vocational skills till the age of 19. Their future is then secured through helping them obtain gainful employment and organising the weddings of those who so desire. Mrs. Sujatha Majety, the caretaker of the institution, was struggling to fund both their food and medication given the precarious situation that prevailed and reached out to the SSM Hyderabad team for help. By this time the cook had also tested positive and meals had to be ordered from outside, increasing expenses. On 4 May 2021, the team helped her fund the meals required on a daily basis and purchase a month's supply of dry rations comprising of rice, lentils, oil, and condiments.

Food supplies for 50 children aged between six and 16 years residing in the Mathru Abhaya Foundation Orphanage in Kamla Nagar, Medipalli on the outskirts of Hyderabad, were fast running out during the height of the devastating second wave of the COVID pandemic. In sheer desperation, the orphanage staff reached out to a team member of the Satsang Seva Mission to help replenish its meagre supplies so that the children could at least have one square meal a day.  The team helped them procure dry rations comprising of rice, lentils, oil, wheat flour, and condiments for two weeks in addition to some toiletries for the children on 3 May 2021 .  The cheerful faces of the smiling children warmed the hearts of the SSM volunteers, brightening up the dark days that everyone was passing through.

  As India’s Coronovirus counts inched towards the million mark and NOIDA imposed a total lockdown for weekends till the end of July, requests for dry rations started coming in to SSM volunteers from different Jhuggi clusters around the area. The team tried to meet all the requests it received by supplementing its own stock with donations in kind from Satsangis , neighbours and friends. In the sultry monsoon heat, the Delhi-NCR SSM volunteers distributed 295 ration packs over five days from the 6 th to the 10 th of July depending on the requests received and the donations that came in. One hundred and thirty two ration packs were distributed in Sector 135 and 18 in Sector 94, where most tea sellers and other street vendors who cater to offices in the latter sector stay. The police has asked them not to operate as of now. Another 145 packets were distributed in Jhuggi clusters in three different locations in Sectors 92, 93 and 93b. Weary, teary-eyed people sat outside police chowk...