New Year’s Day in Varanasi

On the occasion of Mahanirvana Diwas 2012, the lawyer B. N. Singh, member of Pujya Maa Shri Sarveshwari Seva Sangh, read to the people present the Annual Report on the Activities of the Centre.

Here is the content in short:

School – Shri Aghoreshwar Gurukul.

This year pupils are 410, 196 little girls and 214 little boys, split into two nursery school classes and five elementary school classes. Among them there are 38 single or double orphans. The kids supported to study in external lower and high secondary schools are 85.

Hospital – Shri Aghoreshwar Bhagwan Ram Chikitsalaya.

Dr. P. K. Singh, eye specialist and surgeon: 1825 patients seen and treated and 159 eye operations performed, mostly cataracts.

Dr. R. K. Singh, surgeon, and Dr. R. Singh, gynaecologist: 352 patients seen and treated and 16 operations performed.

Dr. P. Kumar, dentist: 425 patients seen.

Dr. A. K. Mishra, naturopath and acupuncturist: 428 patients over the year.

Dr. D. C. Tripathi, general practitioner of the hospital of the Centre: 2750 patients.

633 children were given vermifuge, 311 received vitamin A injections, 648 were given polio vaccination.  33 patients underwent a free ultrasound scan.

Last year 4 Medical Camps were organized in far distant areas during which the doctors treated 1183 patients in all.

Sewing course for village women: 40 participants.

The Report refers to the period November 29th 2011 – November 28th 2012.

 In this season, in the garden hibiscuses, roses, French marigolds, chrysanthemums, daisies and many other flowers open while small animals are busy in their usual activities. In this microcosm on the banks of the Ganges the luxuriant vegetation we have created over the years gives shelter to many kinds of birds and animals. Peacocks, parrots, herons, magpies, hoopoes, canaries, kingfishers and many others launch into harmonious warbles and calls. The ground is the territory of squirrels and mongooses, and sometimes of monitors, lizards and other reptiles in summer. Squirrels are the most numerous; they run after each other, jump on trees, get closer curious and ready to go away very quickly at the slightest move.

When nobody is around it is possible to see peacoks walking peacefully in the shade of the neem tree or to meet mongooses coming out of the temple after stealing some sweet or fruit from the offering plate. At the slightest noise they go away very quickly. Seeing mongooses during the day is quite frequent. They are bolder as they have no direct threats.

In sunny days it is nice to see children taking classes outdoors cheered by the song of birds while butterflies flit among the flowers and squirrels run after each other from a tree to another.

Since the beginning of December temperature has gradually fallen. There has been fog sometimes and the sun hasn’t been showing itself for a few days. The children came to school and many of them had a cold. Sometimes we let them play freely to warm themselves up a little bit. Christmas day was foggy, cold, humid and there was no sun.

The new doctor has been seeing the youngest kids. Some of them were sent to the eye specialists or to the dentist. Every day someone has to go to the infirmary: small home or playing accidents, cold, fever or seasonal viral infections.

Every week Dr. P. K. Singh performs ten eye operations or more. On December 22nd with the whole medical staff we organized a camp in the province of Mirzapur and next week we will do another one in Bihar. The patients the doctors see and treat are two or three hundred every camp.

Yesterday teachers and the oldest kids with the girls who go to the external schools wanted to show their feeling against the savage assault in New Delhi. They organized a demonstration with about a hundred people including children and young people, then they started from the school, went through the neighbouring villages, reached the centre of Paraw and then came back to the ashram. Here, on the bank, we boarded to reach a temple on the opposite bank, the Ravidas Mandir, where we offered flowers in memory of Damini, the girl victim of the rape. Today a picture of the march has appeared in a local newspaper.

A year-end greeting to you all in Italy, wishing you a happy and serene 2013.

Anil Baba, Guru Baba,

the children, the doctors, the members and the staff of Pujya Maa Shri Sarveshwari Seva Sangh.