PILLARS OF INDIA TODAY
Feb 2021
Hailed by PM Modi for lake cleanup, 72 year old divyang man Rajappan wants to continue his solo effort
- Times of India, 6 Feb 21
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Apr 2020
Our heartfelt thanks and
sincere prayers for all those who are serving the society selflessly
during the corona pandemic - doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, workers
at testing centres, hospital workers, all Govt bodies, administrative staff, police force, corporation
sanitation workers, bank staff, media persons, responsible vendors and all the good souls who are helping
by distributing food and provisions to the needy.
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Jul 2017
A young man in his thirties
used to stand on the footpath opposite the famous Tata Cancer Hospital
at Mumbai and stare at the crowd in front- fear plainly written upon the
faces of the patients standing at death's door; their relatives
with equally grim faces running around.. These sights disturbed him
greatly.Most of the patients were poor people from distant towns. They
had no idea whom to meet, or what to do. They had no money for
medicines, not even food. The young man, heavily depressed, would
return home. 'Something should be done for these people', he would.
think. He was haunted by the thought day and night.
At last he found a way-
He rented out his own hotel that was doing good business and raised some
money. From these funds he started a charitable activity right opposite
Tata Cancer Hospital, on the pavement next to Kondaji Building. He
himself had no idea that the activity would continue to flourish even
after the passage of 27 years. The activity consisted of providing free
meals for cancer patients and their relatives. Many people in the
vicinity approved of this activity. Beginning with fifty, the number of
beneficiaries soon rose to hundred, two hundred, three hundred. As the
numbers of patients increased, so did the number of helping hands.
As years rolled by, the activity continued; undeterred by the change of
seasons, come winter, summer or even the dreaded monsoon of Mumbai. The
number of beneficiaries soon reached 700.
Mr
Harakhchand Savla, for that was the name of the pioneer, did not stop
here. He started supplying free medicines for the needy. In fact, he
started a medicine bank, enlisting voluntary services of three doctors
and three pharmacists. A toy banks was opened for kids suffering from
cancer. The 'Jeevan Jyot' trust founded by Mr Sawla now runs more than
60 humanitarian projects. Sawla, now 57 years old, works with the
same vigour. A thousand salutes to his boundless energy and his
monumental contribution!
Crores of devotees hunting for 'God' in Vithoba temple at Pandharpur,
Sai temple at Shirdi, Balaji temple at Tirupati will never find 'God'.
God resides in our vicinity. But we, like mad men run after 'god-men',
styled variously as Bapu, Maharaj or Baba. All Babas, Maharajs and Bapus
become multi-millionnaires, but our difficulties, agonies and disasters
persist unabated till death. For last 27 years, millions of cancer
patients and their relatives have found 'God', in the form of
Harakhchand Savla.
(mesage received thru WhatsApp)
The 'Jeevan Jyot' trust founded by Mr. Savla now runs more than 60
humanitarian projects. Mr. Savla, now 57 years old, works with the same
vigour when he started at the age of 20.
jeevanjyot.in/
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Jan 2017
Peaceful, organised Pro Jallikattu protests by students, youngsters across Tamilnadu (world over).
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Friendship that has withstood time
- Akila Kannadasan, The Hindu, Coimbatore, June 24, 2012
thehindu.com/todays-paper/
tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/friendship-that-
has-withstood-time/article3564823.ece
Muthu and Shuzo communicated through letters in English and photographs...
Egged on by the letters from a friend in a village in a far-off country,
Shuzo has translated Tirukkural, Bharathiar songs, Manimegalai,
Naaladiyar, Panchathanthira Kathaigal and Voice of Vallalar into
Japanese...
Shuzo, in turn, sent Muthu English translations of Japanese books. Muthu
has translated Japanese books Japaniya Devadhai Kadhaigal, “Thailand
Naattupura Kadhaigal , a collection of short-stories, Manidha Naarkali, a
crime story and Naatiyakkari, a translation of writer Kawabata's The
Izu Dancer.
In 2007, the Japanese Government honoured Muthu's services to their
literature by issuing a commemorative postage stamp with his photo.
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Padma Shri award to Arunachalam Muruganantham in 2016
Arunachalam Muruganantham (born 1962) is a social entrepreneur from
Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. He is the inventor of a low-cost
sanitary pad making machine and has innovated grass-roots mechanisms for
generating awareness about traditional unhygienic practices around
menstruation in rural India. Muruganantham re-engineered a sanitary
machine, and in 2006 it won the award for the best innovation for the
betterment of society from the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai.
Plus, he also received an Indian presidential award for innovation.
Currently more than 1300 machines made by his start-up company,
Jayaashree Industries, are installed across 27 states in India and seven
other countries. This social entrepreneur sells his low cost machines
directly to rural women through the support of bank loans and
not-for-profit organisations. A machine operator can learn the entire
towel-making process in three hours and then employ three others to help
with processing and distribution.
In 2014, TIME magazine placed him in its list of 100 Most
Influential People in the World.
newinventions.in/
bythestartups.com/...
facebook.com/amuruganantham
For Arunachalam Muruganantham, the year 2016 couldn't have started off
any better. It was only a few days ago he got know that he has been
adjudged for an award by the Portugal government as Indian Business
Leader of the Year. While congratulatory messages for the recognition
still kept pouring in, Muruganantham got information that he has been
chosen by the Union government for the Padma Shri Award 2016, for
inventing low-cost sanitary napkins.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...
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15-year-old Deepika Kurup developed a water
purification model which works on solar energy. The effort won her the
title America's Top Young Scientist.
thehindu.com/news/... |
State Wide Water Supply Grid in Gujarat, a
film by Water Supply Dept., Government of Gujarat
youtu.be/abenmnvD6Ds
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Anand Kumar (born 1 January 1973) is an
Indian mathematician and a columnist for various
national and international mathematical journals and
magazines. He is best known for his Super 30
programme, which he started in Patna, Bihar in
2002, and which coaches economically backward students
for IIT-JEE, the entrance examination for the Indian
Institutes of Technology (IITs). By 2013, 281 of the 330
had made it to IITs and Discovery Channel showcased his
work in a documentary.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anand_Kumar
super30.org/ |
Kalyanasundaram is a social
worker from Tamil Nadu in India, working for orphans. He
has donated his pension for this cause.
Kalyanasundaram has worked in the field of social
services for more than 45 years.
Man of the Millennium
Mr.Kalayanasundaram worked as a Librarian for 30 years.
Every month in his 30 year experience(service), he
donated his entire salary to help the needy. He worked
as a server in a hotel to meet his needs. He donated
even his pension amount of about ten lakh rupees to the
needy. He is the first person in the world to spend the
entire earnings for a social cause.
In recognition to his service, an American organization
honoured him with the 'Man of the Millennium' award. He
received a sum of Rs 30 crores as part of this award
which he distributed entirely for the needy as usual. He
still stays as a bachelor and dedicated his entire life
for serving the society.
Moved by his passion to help others, Super Star
Rajinikanth adopted him as his father.
Education: He is a gold medalist in library
science,and has completed his MA in literature and
history.
Awards and honors:
Best librarian in India award by Union Government
Top 10 librarians in the world
Info from
kalyanasundaram-charity.blogspot.in/...
The International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, has
honoured him as 'one of the noblest of the world', while
the United Nations Organisation adjudged him as one of
the Outstanding People of the 20th Century'.
Mr. Kalyanasundaram has founded a social welfare
organisation, Paalam.
Other links
hindu.com/lf/...
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Prakash and Mandakini Amte, at Hemalkasa
- the doctor duo have devoted their entire life for the
well-being of the tribals - the Madias and the Gonds -
of the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra received the
2008 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership.
rmaf.org.ph/Awardees...
bharari.net/india/...
Baba Amte
His Anandwan (forest of joy) is not a rehabilitation
center where thousands of lepers and other disabled men
find food and shelter but it is a school from where they
learn lessons of self-help, self respect and selfless
service. It is a school from where they learn lessons of
co-operation and peaceful co-existence. "Work Builds;
Charity Destroys" is his sublime philosophy. His is a
philosophy in action. He would say, "Give them a Chance
not Charity." And that's what he precisely did. He
created for the leprosy-stricken and the disabled ample
opportunities to let them stand on their own feet. His
motivating approach towards leprosy has ever been, "You
can live without fingers but not without self-respect."
His Anandwan is a self-made, self-sustaining, modern,
model village. It is a miniature India where unity and
harmony, joy and love reign supreme. He is a Magician
who transforms self-pity into Ability; a Mechanic who
mends the minds of men; a Messenger who leaves
everywhere messages of love and peace.
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A totally non-violent struggle from Aug 16-27, 2011 -
The common men of India gathered in lakhs and lakhs, not
only in Delhi the centre of the agitation - the fight
agaisnt corruption by Anna Hazare, but in ever city,
town and village. The people of India who collected in
large numbers to fight against corruption, to show their
solidarity, showing firmness and patience in getting a
solution this time have proved that they can be the
strongest pillar if they are united for a good cause.
Most of us do not agree with fasting indefinitely as a
mode of protest, but we do have to agree that extreme
situations require extreme measures, as a step to show
our refusal to budge. Several people all over India
fasted for several days along with Annaji. Many thanks
to all of them. May God give them excellent heath and a
happy life of their choice.
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Anna Hazare is one of India's
well-acclaimed social activists. A former soldier in the
Indian army, Anna is well known and respected for upgrading
the ecology and economy of the village of Ralegan Siddhi
which is located in the drought prone Ahmednagar district of
Maharashtra state. The erstwhile barren village has
metamorphosed into a unique model of rural development due
to its effective water conservation methods, which made the
villagers self-sufficient. Earlier, the same village
witnessed alcoholism, utter poverty and migration to urban
slums. Inspired by Hazare's unique approach of salvaging a
hopeless village, the state government has implemented the
'Model Village' scheme as part of its official strategy.
Hazare is now synonymous with rural development in India.
The dream of India as a strong nation will not be
realised without self-reliant, self-sufficient villages,
this can be achieved only through social commitment
& involvement of the common man."
- Anna Hazare
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The manager who does funerals for abandoned bodies
- Shobha Warrier, Rediff.com, News, August 26, 2009
S Sreedhar collects unknown, unclaimed bodies from hospitals
and old age homes and performs their last rites. He has been
doing this for the past 24 years.
news.rediff.com/report/...
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| Youth For Seva
There is a growing desire among the youth in India to
volunteer their time and talent for community development.
But most of them are not currently involved in
volunteering work because of three major reasons:
1. Not knowing where to start.
2. The fear that it may be too much of responsibility.
3. Concern that it cannot be done with their limited
time availability.
"Youth for Seva"(YFS) was formed in April 2007 to fill
this gap so that youth with an intention to volunteer
and with different time commitments can easily find
meaningful opportunities to serve the community.
The mission of YFS is to inspire youth to volunteer,
connect them to the grass roots projects, and provide
ongoing support and training to the volunteers and the
NGOs.
Youth for Seva is a project of the 'Hindu Seva
Pratishthana.' (hinduseva.org), which has been in
the forefront of social service for nearly three
decades.
youthforseva.org/
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A report about two great souls who are setting an example
to the world through their actions.
Nagarajan from Kanjikoil near Erode and Ayyasaami from
Ezhoor near Sathyamangalam have dedicated their lives to
growing and maintaining the trees.
Details
About Ayyasami by Muralikumar Padmanabhan
eniyoruvithiseivom.blogspot.com/
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Akshaya's Helping in H.E.L.P. Trust
Akshaya takes care of helpless, mentally ill/very old men
and women deserted in the streets of Madurai.
"I don't feed beggars. They can look after themselves.
The mentally ill won't ask anyone for food or money,"
says N Krishnan who has been feeding them thrice a day for
the past seven years.
akshayatrust.org/ |
5th Pillar
An organisation that strives to get remedy for citizens
particularly the common man by use of the Right to
Information Act & fight corruption at all
levels.
A monthly magazine on Anti-Corruption issues, for private
circulation only for 3 months called "MAATTRAM" (Tamil)
was launched on 9th May 2009, 5.30 pm at Kamaraj hall,
Anna Salai, Teynampet, Chennai. Starting 15th August 2009,
both "MAATTRAM" (in Tamil) and "CHANGE" (in English) will
be distributed through stands and can be subscribed.
Contact:
Vijay Anand
President- 5th Pillar
Cell : 98406 18948
Off: 044 65273056
Fax: 044 42133677
E-mail: vijay@5thpillar.org
5thpillar.org
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Ashtalakshmi temple, Besant Nagar, Chennai
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