Satsang Seva Journal

Preet Paatshala, located amidst a less-privileged housing colony in Bakhtawar Chowk, Gurgaon is a non-formal learning centre for children of migrant workers. Since its inception in October 2021, it has served as a humane sanctuary for migrant workers and their children post COVID-19. The learning programme is now seamlessly managed by a dedicated teacher who devotes two hours every day, imparting basic education to the children, preparing them for future 'professional development' at other nonprofit/ government schools.  Satsang Seva Mission (SSM) volunteers at Delhi, in association with the 'The Gratitude Project' of the Kundan Trust for Education celebrated Sri M's 75th birthday with these children on 9 November 2024. The ambience was charged with melodious chants of the Guru Stuti and other bhajans sung by volunteers and children alike. The little ones were also educated on basic yoga asanas . The heartwarming festivities included distribution of nutritious foo...

Covid 19 cases jumped to over four lakhs country-wide, seeing a rapid rise in the metro cities, especially in the national capital region, with a steady spike in numbers bringing them to a whopping 59,746 by the night of June 21 st . The Delhi-NCR team sought to contribute a drop in the ocean by sending 500 washable, reusable cloth masks for distribution by the Red Cross in Gurugram.The masks were distributed by them along with hygiene kits for distressed workers on the 14 th of June. Meanwhile the plight of the work force continued unabated. The “unlock” phase brought some hopeful migrants back from their villages, where they said there was nothing to sustain them. They joined the large number of workers from the lower income group, who had been laid off from work and found themselves in food queues having depleted their savings in paying school fees for their children (taking online classes) and rentals for their homes. A few of them had to move out of their homes to under flyovers ...

As Delhi-NCR SSM activities touched week nine and the country entered what was termed the first “Unlock” phase from June 1, the massive churning caused by the COVID 19 Pandemic continued unabated. Cases countrywide hit 247,000, of which Delhi-NCR alone accounted for 27,000. The premier national All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Delhi’s only tertiary care hospital in its heavily populated Eastern district, the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, reached out to the team for Nitrile gloves, 3-Ply Masks and PPE Coveralls. Though difficult to procure because of the heavy demand, the team managed to provide 4,500 pairs of Nitrile gloves and an equal number of 3-Ply Masks to AIIMS and 150 Personal Protection Equipment Coveralls to the GTB Hospital on the 4th of June. In NOIDA and Gurugram, where the team has been distributing dry ration packs for eight weeks now, the demographics of the people served appeared to show a shift. While a lot of the daily wagers and construction labour, u...