Children of Child labour school distributed Uniforms by Swamy Chidatmananda

Sevabharathi runs Child labour Rehabilitation centers (4 in Mahaboobnagar and one at the Proddutur) schools. The children are from the cotton seed plots and the cattle raring families (major chunk) of Bhootpur, Makhtal, Balmoor and Anwada mandal. But the major problem for the children taking to child labour is the Migration of the elders who donot find work to earn their livelihood.And one fact that astonishes everybody but is commonly known is they travel as far as the Gujarat for a minimum contract fee of Rs.9,000 p. a. (This years official statistics of migration were put at 10 lakh migrants till date from the district.) Usually its a 15 month contract and sometimes more but the Parrents take the childre along with them. Now what all sevabharathi has done is to convince the parrents that Sevabharathi shall take care of their children until they are back.

So we had 600 children from all sections of the respective mandals (Taluq) . The children since they are the Child labourers they have been exposed to bigger things than their age can bear with. So the children have to be handled in a better trained and smooth way. Sevabharathi has designed a curriculum with Song, Dance, two way dialog and the small skits and plays. The result is there, for everybody to see. Thanks to the continuous efforts by the teachers, volunteers and all the well wishers. We could mould the child labourers in to good Students. And Today 130 of them had been mainstreamed into reggular schools. The Govt has alloted Seats in the Social Welfare hostels the children as they would again go back to work and not school.

CHINMAYA MISSION GIFTS SCHOOL UNIFORMS TO SEVABHARATHI SCHOOL CHILDREN (CHILD LABOUR REHABILITATION UNIT) July 19th '03

In the Early hours at 4:45 am of a fine day (19th july'03) the swamy chinmayananda missions AP regional chief swamyji the poojyaniya Swamy Chidananda chaitanya started to the sevabharathi Child labour Rehabilitation ceneter. The programme was to Gift the children a pair of uniform. Two ceneters were selected for distribution 1) AMISTPUR center 2) Makthal center for the distribution. It was a total of 200 pairs to the children. Accompanied by the Brahmachary Anshuman Chaitanya (the incharge of the seva activities of Chinmaya mission), trustees sree Ravindar, sree Murali krishna, sree Shiva and one Mr Poorna chander all of them chinmaya sewa trust. With us also were me (Chowdary) information incharge Sevabharathi, Sree Thirumal also from sevabharathi Functional incharge of the Deendayal seva samithi a slum development project of sevabharathi and Mr Vijaya Kumar Director of a Software company also incharge of country affairs IDRF (AN NGO based in USA).

We reached the ashram at 4:45 am and swamyji was waiting we quickly took over and started at 5:15 am we were surprised to see the swamyji simply sliding in to the driving seat. It was a two and half hour journey. The swamyji was silent meditative and swift in driving. I was just trying to explain the swamyji of the condition of the children before they come to sevabharathi rehabilitation center and all the things i mentioned above. The swamyji was absorbing all the (little bits of information I knew) information. We reached the school at 7:15 am and as we planned the programme to start at 8:45 am the children were just bathing. The swamyji wanted to know where from we brought these children, how they are motivated to read from their working background, what we taght and how. Brahmachary anshuman Chaitanya was curious of the educational part of the programme while we were trying to get the children quick to the assembly. At 8:45 am the children were at the assembly hall and stood up to wish the swamyji with folded hands and Namaskaram Acharyaji. The swamyji blessed the children there were 86 children and the rest 24 were at home as they were feeling home sick. (The children visit their nearest relatives for half a day or so). The programme started with introducing the assembly and then the children reciting their usual prayer (Swamyji didnot want their usual sessions to be distrubed) and then the Dhyana shlokas recited by a child "Jyothi" (a lambada girl) and so clear was her accent that sanskrit seemed pleasant. The Head master of the center gave the introduction along with a report of the activity of the school. The Swamyji inspired the volunteers and teachers with a simple blessing and his words and I Quote" You are doing the divine work of guiding the child labourers deprived of child hood with Education you are the blessed. And this is the real SEWA. After the prayer the actual programme of distribution of clothes started.


As mentioned above 86 children were gifted the uniforms along with the blessings of his highness the poojya swamy Chidatmananda chaitanya. the children wore the smile and that has lit the campus even in the daylight. The Children I would like to mention here have only a single pair of clothes that too torn and worn out. I shall give you an anectode at the end of this program which i came across in the school. The programme at the school ended with thanks giving by the caretaker Mr laxmaiah and Children reciting Shlokas from Bhagawatgeeta bhakthiyoga. And with the shanthi mantra the programme was wound up leaving the dresses of the absentees with the head master. The swamyji and all others took their morning breakfast with the children. One day a girl child was crying in the school and I asked her why she was crying, to which she replied nobody wants her to sleep by her side and she was beeing kept aloof. I asked who it was actually the name of the akka (The children call each other by akka, anna or chelle, thammudu ie brother / sister) she told that evrybody was but could only remember Shiva neela akka. I called up shiva neela and after a bit of pursuation she told acharyaji this girl doesnt take bath and is dirty (Shivaleela too was in the same condition when she came here initially she wouldnt have her bath for the same reason). Then I turned to her and asked why nanna what happened why dont you take a bath Its bad that you dont take a bath. The answer struck " but acharyaji I have only this pair and none to change to" with a very innocent godly face. I couldnt say anything but leave for mahaboobnagar to get her a pair of used clothes. (We didnt have provision of funds to buy the clothes and medicines as also the haircut). Thats how i came to know the value of a smile that blossoms when you gift a child a pair of dress ( even if it is USED). We have lots in our houses but those USED UNWANTED stuff of clothes can bring SMILES to 100 's of faces of innocent children. All the children are in the age group of 6-14 years and they shall be excited to have the luxury of this small favour.

Comming back to the programme the swamyji had another programme a yagna the next day and had to leave early. Sree Ravinderji and sree vijaykumar, Sree Thirumal and myself were assigned the job to gift the remaining 58 pairs of clothes on brehalf of the CHINMAYA MISSION to the children of the second unit run by SEVABHARTHI at MAKHTAL 75 kms from the Amistapur unit (3 hours drive from the city). After an hour and half s drive to Makhtal we reached the school in makhtal. There the children were quick enough and wore the dress then and there that was the amount of the excitement they are expiriencing and ravinderji wanted all of them to come in the new dress. All the children were thrilled by the gift and it was not possible for the best poets and scholars to express in words their feelings and happpiness. Thanks to chinmaya mission.