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| "The Good Samaritan was a resident of Samarea, the biblical name for the West Bank of Palestine. The New Testament chronicled how he helped a man, who was beaten by thieves, and took care of him. Today, there are many such individuals who throw caution to the wind when they find people in distress." In this section, we profile these people. |
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They sing to make a difference
Women's group recites bhajans to raise money for the underprivileged......Neha Bhayana Mumbai
THEY'RE NIGHTINGALES with a cause.
Clad in silk saris, the group goes from home to home, singing bhajans (devotional songs) at family functions and festivals. And they charge a small fee for this service. They don't do this for a religious purpose or to pass time. And certainly not to make money . The group of women - half of them between 50 and 85 years of age - sing to raise money for the less fortunate. Most of them are elderly, all of them well qualified. They belong to a 90-member group called ‘Saankari' (do-gooder), which was set up in 1977 by a Worli housewife, Jaya Vencatesan, under the guidance of her guru, Sri Jayendra Saraswati Sankaracharya Swamigal of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. After regaling the crowd with their bhajans, the women take three minutes to explain the cause they want to support they pick a different non-profit organisation each year - and accept whatever money they get. The entire amount is donated to the chosen organisation. "Swamiji was concerned that Hindus don't do any charitable work on an organised level, unlike other religious communities," said the 73-year-old Vencatesan, a former teacher. "He wanted to make the religion more meaningful and humane so he suggested we start this social service," she said explaining the group's raison d' ętre. Their repertoire comprised 10 bhajans and they "pleaded of friends to let us sing at their family functions for Rs 100." That year, they collected Rs 500 with which they bought tape recorders for blind students of SIES College. Since then, a lot has changed. Whether it's the membership count or the size of donations. Their programmes are now booked six months in advance, and last year their collection crossed Rs 1 lakh. All this, though Vencatesan suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. She can barely move but continues her mission. So do others despite health problems. Apart from social work, Saankari is a secular group, which aims to bring people from different communities together. "We sing bhajans in 10 languages," said Kalindi Daru (74). URL:http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=28_07_2008_005_010&typ=0&pub=264 |
