Sewa Sandesh January 2014

COMPUTER TRAINING CENTER "SEWA PATH" INAUGURATED IN UKHIMATH, RUDRAPRAYAG After the completion of first phase of relief work in Uttarakhand, Sewa International Bharat, carried out an intensive survey in the affected villages and realized that there are good number of educated and degree-holder youths living in these villages of Uttarakhand. But most of them are not utilizing their education and unable to play any role in the upliftment of their family and society. They are lacking in computer skills, confidence, presentation etc. Considering this, it was decided  to develop their personality by adding some value  and making them more useful for the family and society. Sewa International and its team had been involved in relief activities since June 2013. Shri Manver Singh Rawat, a local social worker has been appointed by SIB as a full-timer to build up better relations with people for successful run of rehabilitation projects. keeping this  in mind, a computer training center named “Sewa Path” was inaugurated in the main market of Ukhimath, Rudraprayag district on Makar Sankranti day, 14th January 2014. Hawan was performed in the presence of local peoples. As chief guest, Shri Manwar Singh Pawar, (Principal, Inter College, Ukhimath) inaugurated the center and explained its utility to the audience. Shri Devendra Padiyar, an active local social worker was also present on the occasion and addressed the youth. So far, five computers have been installed in the center. A well qualified and experienced computer teacher, Kavita Rana is appointed to guide students. Presently, 23 students are enrolled at the center. More students are still approching to join the center. The target is to start 4 batches per day till the end of this month. To attract more and more interested youths, a very nominal fee Rs.50/- per month is charged which is almost one fifth of normal rates. For an easy start, basic courses like Basic, MS office, internet and typing are being taught at the center. In the future, the professional courses like Photoshop, Corel Draw, Pagemaker, Tally etc will be added in the course to make them more competent for jobs. The certificate will be awarded to the students in the end of the course after examinations. SIB has engaged local computer suppliers, furniture-makers, electricians etc. in the establishment of center to provide them more opportunity for business and earnings. Sewa International Bharat is also planning to start two more computer centers in other blocks of Rudraprayag district by  the end of March. A mationalist tribute to a nationalist social leader THE LEGEND CALLED BALASAHEB DESHPANDE  -Virag Pachpore The late Ramakant Keshav alias Balasaheb Deshpande, founder of Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, was a top ranker legendary personality in modern Bharat. Born in a traditional Brahmin family on December 26, 1913 at Amaravati in Vidarbha, he became an RSS swayamsevak in his teen age and received indelible impressions in patriotism, discipline and Hindutva.  A graduate from Hislop College, Nagpur, Balasaheb was appointed by the then Ravi Shankar Shukla Government to work in tribal dominated Jashpur area as ‘Regional Officer’ of the ‘Tribal Development Scheme’.  In this area, Christian missionaries were those days converting the simple tribal people to their religion by using all means fair and foul. The entire education system was controlled by these missionaries there.  No other agency was allowed to work without the permission of the missionaries. Balasaheb opened 100 government schools in 1948 in just one go in the tribal areas to counter the missionaries work, overruling all objections and difficulties. Surprised at this achievement, Thakkar Bappa visitedJashpur and as a token of appreciation, gave him Rs 251/- as prize for his accomplishment. But the goverenment machinery was not in a mood to give free hand to Balasaheb in his mission in Jashpur. Shri Guruji advised him to give up the government job and start an independent mission for the welfare of the tribal brethrens.  The Christian missionaries had been working in Bharat since 1793 with a mission to convert the people here to Christianity. These missionaries concentrated in Bastar, Chhota Nagpur, Assam and North-eastern areas and other tribal areas of the country. Balasaheb vowed to change this situation and with a firm resolve he resigned from government job and started the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram in 1951.  He was assisted by Morubhau Ketkar, a senior Pracharak of RSS on the instructions of Shri Guruji. The Jashpur principality and its royal family always supported the activities of Kalyan Ashram.  The work was two-fold: To bring back those tribals who were converted to Christianity by fraud, allurement or some other means and to inculcate in them a strong sense of belonging to the Bharatiya culture and religion. At the same time, the Niyogi Commission, appointed by the Madhya Pradesh Government exposed the anti- national character of these Christian missions and their missionaries. Balasaheb accepted the challenge of the tribal areas and with his undaunted courage, untiring zeal and uncompromising commitment plunged into the mission of his life. Education was his basic instrument to reach to the tribal people and once he made a place for himself, he served them treating them as his ‘god’. He gave them love and affection which they wanted very much and in turn realised the highest satisfaction of his life- both mundane and spiritual. Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram is a mission of national renaissance. It has been the most difficult and daunting task. Balasaheb pioneered this seemingly difficult mission and achieved success. The late Ramakant Keshav alias Balasaheb Deshpande, founder of Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, was a top ranker legendary personality in modern Bharat. Born in a traditional Brahmin family on December 26, 1913 at Amaravati in Vidarbha, he became an RSS swayamsevak in his teen age and received indelible impressions in patriotism, discipline and Hindutva.  A graduate from Hislop College, Nagpur, Balasaheb was appointed by the then Ravi Shankar Shukla Government to work in tribal dominated Jashpur area as ‘Regional Officer’ of the ‘Tribal Development Scheme’.  In this area, Christian missionaries were those days converting the simple tribal people to their religion by using all means fair and foul. The entire education system was controlled by these missionaries there.  No other agency was allowed to work without the permission of the missionaries. Balasaheb opened 100 government schools in 1948 in just one go in the tribal areas to counter the missionaries work, overruling all objections and difficulties. Surprised at this achievement, Thakkar Bappa visitedJashpur and as a token of appreciation, gave him Rs 251/- as prize for his accomplishment. But the goverenment machinery was not in a mood to give free hand to Balasaheb in his mission in Jashpur. Shri Guruji advised him to give up the government job and start an independent mission for the welfare of the tribal brethrens.  The Christian missionaries had been working in Bharat since 1793 with a mission to convert the people here to Christianity. These missionaries concentrated in Bastar, Chhota Nagpur, Assam and North-eastern areas and other tribal areas of the country. Balasaheb vowed to change this situation and with a firm resolve he resigned from government job and started the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram in 1951.  He was assisted by Morubhau Ketkar, a senior Pracharak of RSS on the instructions of Shri Guruji. The Jashpur principality and its royal family always supported the activities of Kalyan Ashram.  The work was two-fold: To bring back those tribals who were converted to Christianity by fraud, allurement or some other means and to inculcate in them a strong sense of belonging to the Bharatiya culture and religion. At the same time, the Niyogi Commission, appointed by the Madhya Pradesh Government exposed the anti- national character of these Christian missions and their missionaries. Balasaheb accepted the challenge of the tribal areas and with his undaunted courage, untiring zeal and uncompromising commitment plunged into the mission of his life. Education was his basic instrument to reach to the tribal people and once he made a place for himself, he served them treating them as his ‘god’. He gave them love and affection which they wanted very much and in turn realised the highest satisfaction of his life- both mundane and spiritual. Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram is a mission of national renaissance. It has been the most difficult and daunting task. Balasaheb pioneered this seemingly difficult mission and achieved success. A nationalist tribute to a nationalist social leader THE LEGEND CALLED BALASAHEB DESHPANDE  -Virag Pachpore The late Ramakant Keshav alias Balasaheb Deshpande, founder of Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, was a top ranker legendary personality in modern Bharat. Born in a traditional Brahmin family on December 26, 1913 at Amaravati in Vidarbha, he became an RSS swayamsevak in his teen age and received indelible impressions in patriotism, discipline and Hindutva.  A graduate from Hislop College, Nagpur, Balasaheb was appointed by the then Ravi Shankar Shukla Government to work in tribal dominated Jashpur area as ‘Regional Officer’ of the ‘Tribal Development Scheme’.  In this area, Christian missionaries were those days converting the simple tribal people to their religion by using all means fair and foul. The entire education system was controlled by these missionaries there.  No other agency was allowed to work without the permission of the missionaries. Balasaheb opened 100 government schools in 1948 in just one go in the tribal areas to counter the missionaries work, overruling all objections and difficulties. Surprised at this achievement, Thakkar Bappa visited Jashpur and as a token of appreciation, gave him Rs 251/- as prize for his accomplishment. But the goverenment machinery was not in a mood to give free hand to Balasaheb in his mission in Jashpur. Shri Guruji advised him to give up the government job and start an independent mission for the welfare of the tribal brethrens.  The Christian missionaries had been working in Bharat since 1793 with a mission to convert the people here to Christianity. These missionaries concentrated in Bastar, Chhota Nagpur, Assam and North-eastern areas and other tribal areas of the country. Balasaheb vowed to change this situation and with a firm resolve he resigned from government job and started the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram in 1951.  He was assisted by Morubhau Ketkar, a senior Pracharak of RSS on the instructions of Shri Guruji. The Jashpur principality and its royal family always supported the activities of Kalyan Ashram.  The work was two-fold: To bring back those tribals who were converted to Christianity by fraud, allurement or some other means and to inculcate in them a strong sense of belonging to the Bharatiya culture and religion. At the same time, the Niyogi Commission, appointed by the Madhya Pradesh Government exposed the anti- national character of these Christian missions and their missionaries. Balasaheb accepted the challenge of the tribal areas and with his undaunted courage, untiring zeal and uncompromising commitment plunged into the mission of his life. Education was his basic instrument to reach to the tribal people and once he made a place for himself, he served them treating them as his ‘god’. He gave them love and affection which they wanted very much and in turn realised the highest satisfaction of his life- both mundane and spiritual. Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram is a mission of national renaissance. It has been the most difficult and daunting task. Balasaheb pioneered this seemingly difficult mission and achieved success. A NEW DESTINATION,A NEW HOSPITAL AND A NEW CHALLENGE Qualifying as an Operating Department Practitioner back in 2005 I could never have imagined that eight years later I would be preparing a theatre ready for a list of paediatric cleft lip and palate patients in a hospital in the Maharashtra region of India. As the recipient of the 2013 Hilda Winifred Mears Award I was able to travel with the Northern Cleft Foundation’s team as they journeyed to the Dr Hedgewar Hospital in Aurangabad to perform life changing surgery on those who would otherwise be unable to access this form of speciality treatment. The Northern Cleft Foundation (NCF) is a UK based charity founded in 2001 by Dr George Teturswamy, a consultant anaesthetist from Blackburn. The NCF charity has previously visited a number of cities in India to perform their charitable work including Mysore, Hyderabad, Irinjalakuda and Nagpur. In 2012 the NCF were introduced to an organisation called SEWA UK, a humanitarian charity of Indian origin, and successful links were formed that resulted in Aurangabad being the next destination for the Northern Cleft Foundation. Excited anticipation seemed to be the mood amongst the team as we flew out of the UK. Although many had been on previous trips before with the NCF this was a new destination, a new hospital and a new challenge. I had started a new job at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester only four weeks prior to this trip so had recent experience of working in a new environment however I didn’t know what to expect at the Dr Hedgewar Hospital and neither did the team. The reception we received in Aurangabad was fantastic; we were even recipients of an unexpected presentation by the medical director and representatives from The Dr Hedgewar Hospital as we arrived at the airport. The warm and friendly welcome was to set the tone for the entire trip. Day one and a 5:45am wakeup call by our hotel reception was followed by a short bus journey through Aurangabad which brought us to the Dr Hedgewar Hospital. The hospital was founded in 1989 on land donated by the Maharashtra government. It began with seven doctors and a philosophy to re-establish values in medical practice including honesty, teamwork, service orientation and care with cure. Through an impressive program of non -government funded development it now has over 45 doctors and eight operating theatres as well as facilitating numerous community projects enabling the hospitals objectives of providing quality and affordable healthcare with a focus on the poor and to work as an instrument of social change to be achieved. The Northern Cleft Foundation had the honour of being one of the first teams to work in some of the hospitals new operating theatres and as such we had a short inauguration ceremony to official open them. The previous evening’s discussions regarding the numbers and types of patients expected, the equipment which would be available and the theatre environment itself was now to be revealed! I was allocated to theatre two along with an experienced paediatric anaesthetic consultant. As a multi skilled practitioner keen to maintain my skills in both scrub and anaesthestics the exposure to paediatric anaesthesia on this trip would undoubtedly benefit my continuing professional development. I was aware that I had an opportunity to increase my knowledge and skills in this specialised area by working alongside many experienced clinicians and practitioners. The NCF is a consultant led team who are keen to share their expertise with the local clinicians and staff as well as the surgical and anaesthetic trainees who make the trip. I was relieved on day one to see that the anaesthetic machine in theatre was similar to those we have in the UK and not the old Boyles machines that had been present on previous trips. There was the fl urry of activity as we all assumed our roles in preparing the theatres for the lists. The local theatre nurses had prepared some pre packed bags of syringes and venfl ons etc and made biurets and fl uids readily available. There was also an emergency tray in each theatre with a bag and valve mask and some emergency drugs. The preparation of a safe perioperative environment has always been important in the delivery of a high standard of patient care but I refl ected especially so in those environments that are new and unfamiliar to you. The standard of care the Northern Cleft Foundation team delivers is the same high standard as delivered in the UK, it was important not to send for our fi rst patient until everyone in the team was ready and the theatre environment safely prepared. We had a small delay to our list as we waited for an oxygen cylinder to be brought to theatre. The local nurses pointed out that we had a pipeline supply but we explained as is our practice in the UK we required an oxygen cylinder supply as a backup for safety reasons. This also gave us time to put up an improvised count sheet on the theatre wall as there wasn’t a swab board in theatre. These and other small differences in practices led to friendly discussions and exchanges of ideas over the course of the week as we worked together in partnership with the local nursing staff. The local scrub nurses were very keen and enthusiastic to learn as much as they could. They were very interested in the sharps pads that we had brought with us and readily adopted them along with the swab count, using the count sheets we had put together. There were even attempts by the local nurses to teach us to count to fi ve in Hindi. Nothing was too much trouble for the local team as requests for equipment and supplies were enthusiastically facilitated wherever possible. A few brief power failures and a minor problem with an autoclave were soon overcome as everyone pulled together. Alongside increasing my knowledge and skills in paediatric anaesthesia one of the areas of practice that this trip has had an impact on is resource management. Utilising resources appropriately has become increasingly important within the NHS in recent years and this experience in India defi nitely reinforced this point. With limited resources available we all were careful to utilise everything and waste nothing. From an anaesthetic perspective the trip generated plenty of challenges for the team. We had patients with varying degrees of cleft deformity ranging in ages from three months to 57 years. We also came across patients with Pierre Robin syndrome, a patient with Goldenhar syndrome and one young patient with Treacher Collins Syndrome, all cases requiring expert airway management. In terms of diffi cult intubation kit we had a number of different laryngoscope blades available including Macintosh, Miller and a McCoy. We also had the usual bougies and airway adjunts along with a glidescope which we had on standby for all potentially diffi cult cases and of course we had expertise. The patient with Treacher Collins came to us in theatre two and I had every bit of kit that I thought we might need along with three consultant anaesthetists and three anaesthetic registrars. A mac 2 blade, a stylet and that expertise made for a smooth intubation. Over the course of the week we successfully operated on 86 patients utilising three theatres, often worked 12 hours a day. It was hard work but incredibly rewarding and the teamwork was exceptional. I learnt a great deal from all those I worked with. Patient care is at the heart of everything we do as healthcare professionals wherever in the world that care is delivered. I would defi nitely recommend utilising the skills we have as theatre practitioners to participate in voluntary work overseas. The Hilda Winifred Mears Award made this trip possible for me and I am very grateful to the AfPP for their support. I feel privileged to have worked with such an incredible team alongside our dedicated friends at the Dr Hedgewar Hospital. The partnership between the Northern Cleft Foundation and the Hospital, together with the support of SEWA UK, looks set to continue to develop and fl ourish for many years to come. Hopefully the success of this fi rst trip by the Northern Cleft Foundation to Aurangabad will lead towards developing a cleft lip and palate service in the area and helping the many patients who would otherwise have diffi culty accessing such a specialised area of care. Claire Phillips ODP The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester. Claire Phillips ODP The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, ManchesterClaire Phillips ODP The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, ManchesterClaire Phillips ODPThe Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Solapur based Udyogvardhini’s Chandrika Chauhan grooms 400 women entrepreneurs; makes around 15,000 women self-reliant HOUSEWIFE GROOMING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS undefinedTrapped in troubles from all sides Smt Chandrika Chauhan had decided to migrate from Solapur with her family in 1993, as she did not have meals to feed her family and all sources of income had dried. At a fine morning she cleaned her old sewing machine and took up tailoring work from neighbours. That activity has now turned into a big movement joined by thousands of women in and around Solapur city. Not only saving the families of around 1,000 women who were at the verge of disintegration, through counselling and also rehabilitating even the unwed mothers, Smt Chauhan has also made many visually challenged girls self-reliant. Chitrakoot Shilpi Nanaji Deshmukh is her inspiration, who in 1997 turned down her request to join the Samaj Shilpi Yojna and directed her to start women empowerment work in Solapur. The name Udyogvardhini was also given by Nanaji. Since then she did not look back and is moving forward setting new milestones in women empowerment. Affectionately called ‘Bhabhi’ among the women of her group, she always avoid acting as a leader, rather joins all the activities whether kitchen, counselling, tailoring or other activities as a ground worker. When asked how she started the work she says: “Though I had started the work in 1996, I started expanding the work in different localities in 1997. Since I have also worked as a corporator in Solapur Municipal Corporation for some time I was aware of the problems of  women. Later I dedicated myself to Udyogvardhini connecting women in distress with any of the activity of Udyogvardhini.”  Today Udyogvardhini mainly runs three kinds of activities—catering, counselling and old age home. It is firm not to start its own industry on large scale, rather develops individual entrepreneurs. Undoubtedly women, both in rural and urban areas, do not get sufficient money for investment, because even the family members do not trust them for investment. That is why Smt Chauhan suggests minimum Rs 500 and maximum Rs 10,000 investment by women for starting any activity. Majority of the women who are now doing good business had started their activity with this meager investment only. The activities started for self-reliance include Beauty Parlour, Bhaakri Making, Book Binding, Catering Service, Fire Wood Seller, House Maid Placement, Small Grocery Shop, Tailoring Shop, Vegetable Seller, Groundnut Chatni Making, Manufacturing Units, FMCG Products, Gift Items, Handicrafts, etc. Apart from it the training is imparted for chalk making, cookery class, incense sticks making, hand paper making, hand work on dress materials, rangoli workshop, adult literacy programme, self-help group orientation, two-wheeler driving, etc. “Majority of the women visiting us come with some or the other trouble. In that condition telling them to first get training and arrange money for investment is impractical. The hunger cannot be satisfied with speeches. First we discuss with them their real family condition. I personally talk to each and every individual at least for an hour to understand their condition—what she knows and what she can do. If she can contribute in catering, she is connected to that work at any of the three places. We everyday prepare the meals for at least 2,000 people. Those who know tailoring work are told to prepare any such item. They are paid even for this evaluation work,” Smt Chauhan points out. The old age home has proved to be a boon for the destitute women. The interesting experiment done by Udyogvardhini is for empowerment of visually challenged girls. The government provides them some help till the age of 18. But the girls, who do not have families, face many hardships at that age. Such girls are accommodated in the old age home. This has been named as Mangal Drishti Bhavan—‘Mangal’ is for old age people and ‘Drishti’ for blind girls. All girls are first taught to carry out the house hold work including preparing meals, cleaning floors, cleaning utensils, etc. Their lodging and boarding is free and they normally earn about Rs 3,000 per month. Eight of such girls have now been married off. Even now they come from their houses for work. The women who can work independently are allowed to work with Udyogvardhini only for two years and then they are motivated to start their own work thus making them ‘owner’ and not the ‘worker’. They are fully trained in all activities like taking raw material, preparing items, marketing, billing, taking orders, supplying material and even filing tax returns. Udyogvardhini enjoys taking up new challenges. Lok Mangal Group which owns a chain of retail outlets and Malls in Solapur organises mass weddings in the city every year. “We provide them at least one lakh chapattis on every occasion. Like vegetables, chapattis cannot be prepared in advance. But we have the manpower to provide the chapattis in the shortest duration. We have the record of preparing one lakh chapattis in 22 hours. We are doing it since 2009,” Smt Chauhan says. Udyogvardhini has emerged as a hope for the women in distress. Its team is efficient enough to extend all possible help required by an individual. It boosted the confidence level of the average women to the extent that they now export their products to developed countries like the USA and UK. LARGEST SOLAR COOKING SESSION As many as 3,484 children from over 80 schools participated in the largest solar cooking initiative Suryakumbh in Uttan village near Bhayander, Mumbai on January 4. The event has qualified as an entry to the Guinness Book of World Records. The emergence of renewable sources of energy as an answer to the imminent exhaustion of conventional energy sources pushed a Bhayander NGO, Keshav Srushti, to start with the most influential members of society, children. “We provided each child with his own solar cooker to assemble and, later, take home to share the knowledge with his family and friends. This activity will help them understand the importance of solar energy and also how it works,” said Satish Sinnarkar, vice-president of Keshav Srushti, who claims they got more applications than the number they had allotted for the activity. The earlier record was set last year at Jalna in Maharashtra, where 2,200 students took part in a solar cooking session. The children were amazed by the construction and working of these solar cookers and were surprisingly well informed.

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