GoodNewsIndia :: The Sieve
Good news filtered from media streams
Page 37 of 38 pages « FirstP < 35 36 37 38 > [Full listing]
Jun 30, 2005 : Viji Srinivasan is no more
Viji Srinivasan, the Week magazine’s Woman of the Year for 2004, passed away on Jun 13, 2005. She was born in an illustrious, affluent family in Chennai. But since the 1980s has worked with poor women of Jharkhand. A trained sociologist, she ran Adithi, an NGO that has improved the lives of more than 100,000 women and children in th etribal belt.She battled female infanticide, educated young girls, found markets for their craft products and brought in cash incomes. She went about barefoot, slept on the floor and shared simple meals with her female flock. She neglected her own health putting in 18 hours of work a day.
In an incident that typifies the bridges she built, Viji spotted 20 year old Archana Kumari’s talent and trained her to get into the elite National Institute of Fashion Technolgy- and Viji paid her course fees. Read her full story here.
Ever the feminist, Viji had willed that her daughter perform her last rites. Despite many raised brows, Rekha fulfilled her mother’s wish.
Jan 25, 2004 : Gandhi Niketan Ashram, Kallupatti
Read this inspiring profile of Gandhi Niketan Ashram, an institution founded in 1940 by G Venkatachalapathy, a disciple of Gandhi. Its 42 acres in Kallupatti, in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu has a school run by Dr Paulraj. The school throbs with energy of 3,500 students, boys and girls.Chirping students arrive at 7.30 am, an hour before classes begin. Then begins a massive daily cleaning exercise of the campus. That is followed by watering plants and farm maintenance jobs. There are no servants here. The main teachings are dignity of labour, honesty and commitment to rural India. Quite a few have gone on to do medical and engineering courses but several have dedicated themselves to working with the Ashram. No fee is ever collected. The Ashram generates Rs 2 crores from its own produce but also gets generous funding by government agencies. In return the Ashram is involved in extension work to combat rural poverty. Full report
Apr 23, 2003 : P Kalyanasundaram, a rare human
P Kalyanasundaram, a retired librarian of Chennai is an epitome of charity. This elderly man is a bachelor, owns nothing and has been giving away whatever has been his since he was a student - his gold chain first, most of his salary throughout his career, his entire retirement benefits, sale from an ancestral property and award money that he has received. And now he goes and earns the Rs 600 per month for his needs doing odd jobs.He runs Paalam [Bridge] which connects people with money and surpluses with those that need them. Children and destitutes are Paalam’s beneficiaries. You can contact Paalam at 044-24402524. A report
Page 37 of 38 pages « FirstP < 35 36 37 38 > [Full listing]