Re: Question from Murali Krishna: Reply to Mani
From the Bhakti List Archives
• July 6, 2001
>> does a single Sri Vaishnava group gather able-bodied youth >> and go do humanitarian service work in a Dalit (or any) >> downtrodden or impoverished village? Yes. There are many unsung Heroes among Sri Vaishnavas doing utmost service to the mankind. Let me reproduce an article which appeared in Indian Express in March 1998. ********* "Somewhere around midnight the telephone in the bedroom of his Chromepet residence rings incessantly. He attends the call, assures the caller of all possible help and pages his driver. Within a few minutes, the driver is at the door ready with the mortuary van. Together they speed out in the darkness of the night to the death house. A dead body of a poor family, which has no money to seek other alternatives, has to be taken to a remote district in the state and there is hardly any time to be lost. For 59 year old- G. Raghavan, managing trustee of Shree Gayethri Trust it is another day in his life. Another day, another death. Shri G.Raghavan a retired official of The Telephone Department, hailing from an orthodox Vaishnavite family has helped 500 (till 1998) families bear the burden of their grief. With the blessings of HH Kanchi Paramacharya and HH Srimad Andavan Swamigal of Srirangam, Gayethri Trust was started in 1983 to lend a helping hand to the poor irrespective of caste, creed, sex or religion. The trust deals with matters of life as well as death. Like sustaining the ailing and helping the dead get a decent burial or cremation. Mr. Raghavan says that he has performed a number of 'Govinda kolli' lighting the pyre for unclaimed bodies. One one occassion the body of an AIDS victim was rejected by her family and he lit the pyre (Those who frequented Tambaram Sanatorium railway station in '99 would recall a cancer inflicted bank manager dumped by his orthodox Srirangam SriVaishnavite family lying uncared and unattended for days on the railway station. They did not even have the time to admit him in the hospital run by Sri Gayethri Trust). Sri Gayethri Trust has - a Gnanavapi in Lakshmipuram, Chromepet. This is made available to the deserving poor, who have no means to pay, at free of cost. - Karumadhi Building to cater to people of all communitites - Mortuary van - Hotline where poor people can call up to carry the dead bodies of orphans and poor from the place of death to the burning/burial grounds and perform the funerals **as per their customs, at free of cost***. The only requirement is that there must be phone call to the Trust on such situation. - Cremation Ghat - Cancer Terminal Care Centre - Cancer screening programme - Conducted 100s of marriages for the poor - Provided scholarships for poor students in government schools. Sri Raghavan is working hard to construct an electric crematorium in Chromepet. This is expected to cost Rs. 3 crore. But Raghavan is not worried. "One of the first donations I recvd. in the initial days was from a woman in Nagercoil. She sent **Rs/- 1.50** through money order after reading about me in a newspaper. There are still enough generous people in the world. It is the poor who contribute more than the rich". ************** Im not sure how many SriVaishnavas would have read my message this far. If you have my thanks to you. If you get a chance, do meet up with Sri Raghavan and atleast give him your encouragement. BTW I dont think contributions to His trust are exempt from US tax. Shree Gayethri Trust Plot No 45 Lakshminagar Chromepet Madras 600 044. Phone : 91-44-236 4777. -------------------------------------------------------------- - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH - To Post a message, send it to: bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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