Hi all , I am Eshwar a Volunteer with Youth For Seva (YFS), I started my journey with YFS from one of its flagship events Chiguru in 2015. I am writing here to share my heart melting experiences with you all, as part of one of our projects in YFS called NARAYANA PATRA we volunteers went to PALLAVI ASHRAMAM an ashram for old and mentally retarded women . It is located at Dundigal . We went there to offer them commodities like rice and others also to share their joys and sorrows with us. I was very eager to meet them . The ashramam is located at a very cool and rural environment with goshala, flowers, temple and a little pond with lord shiva and a hut where people can sit together and spend some time . It was like a typical village, very pleasant & beautiful , made me nostalgic about my village.As the name suggests it’s an ashramam , by seeing the environment I was expecting old aged people or homeless people. But the moment I stepped inside I was awakened by seeing people there, as soon as we entered we gathered the commodities & clothes which we took along with us at one place under a shed where there were chairs arranged to sit for visitors and there was also a tv. One thing which surprised me was that women were sitting on the ground with their heads shaved in the scorching heat and few were sitting on benches inside a closed room . And do you know who these ladies were ??? They are women whom we see abandoned on road side, who are clueless about their lives.
The moment I stepped into the ashramam I didnt understand who they are and why they are like that, Then one of the our team members Mahender told me about them and about the ashramam. The best thing here is that they counsel those women and try to send them back to their relatives if they are willing to go back. There are women living there since 10 years, 8 years and so on, at present about 40 people are being taken care of at the ashram. I was able to communicate with a few women there, The 1st women whom I spoke to was young and was able to tell her name & details abt her parents etc and also till which class she studied (4th standard) but was not able to tell her age & since how long she is staying there. I could see in her face that she was lost and not normal and she dint know how to smile.. I observed that she dint respond to anyone and was in her own world. Few of them were just like kids who spoke and smiled like kids with other volunteers. 2nd women with whom I could interact was a very talkative & energetic and asked me about my whereabouts , she was also sitting in the sun but she told me to go back and sit in the shed as it is sunny day. I felt touched J And later she told me that she has 2 kids and they are in school right know). When I was just about to leave she told me wait I will offer you tea (Vundu tea petti isitha tagi vellu). I remembered this conversation very well because I felt happy talking to her, such a pure heart and a smiling face.
I can keep writing on and on about every bit of my experience but you see some things are better felt when experienced personally , So Id request you all to make time out of your schedule and visit this ashramam and try to soak in every bit of the place & environment. Then together if we can lets plan what we can do for them. Here is the link to view all the pictures taken at Pallavi Ashramam. http://1drv.ms/1Gm1Ay5
Thanking you one and all.
Regards,
YFS TEAM
Together we can