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Grama Seva at Thombarambedu Village |
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Summary
With the immense grace and blessings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Saibaba, Thombarambedu, a small village was identified as part of the GRAMA SEVA. This village is situated 70 KMs from Madras at the back of Zero point of Sri Sathya Sai Ganga water canal .The Sathya Sai Seva Organization conducted a medical camp on 19th August 2001 .A group of 50 sai youths turned up for seva that day. We took up the responsibility of conducting a blood grouping camp. As the camp was being conducted, the village head took some of us around the village highlighting the various needs which were unattended for a long time. WHY THIS VILLAGE ?
This stirred us to
take up that village and provide the infrastructure it
needed. During the course of the camp, the youth immediately
sprung into action. We rushed to the nearby local town and
purchased poles and electrical fittings and started
installing street lights that very day. This was completed
late in the evening and the whole area was lighted within a
span of few hours! As a follow up measure,
all the youths, a few weeks later, visited the village and
provided electrical facilities to the village school and
subsequently provided the village temple with water tanks
and laid pipes ensuring good water supply. After a few months
another eye camp was conducted and 21 patients were screened
for cataract operation . We arranged the patients to
be operated at madras. With the grace of Bhagawan normal
vision was restored and 40 others were given spectacles at
their door steps The village youth seeing
the dedicated work of the Sai youth got inspired to start
their own youth wing, for upliftment of the village. They
gave up bad habits and started concentrating on their
careers .This gave a good name to them in the village. A few
weeks later both Sai youth and village youth boys worked
together and started laying roads where the need was. On
both sides of the road tree saplings were planted. The village boys
requested for a play ground. At the far end of the village a
raised land full of thick vegetation and thorny bushes was
the only place for the proposed play ground. The Sai youth
organized JCV machines and tractors to clear the vegetation
and dumped loads of sand and leveled the place to make a
wonderful play ground. This is the only play ground in the
entire oothukotai district which consists of 25 villages. We celebrated swamis birthday in the
year 2002 in that village and the inauguration of the play
ground fell on that auspicious day.
The whole village had a festive look with the singing of
bhajans, Vastradanam and Narayana seva. Swami in the book on
grama seva has very clearly stated the need of having public
toilets in all villages, ensuring health and hygiene. A
public toilet and a water tank for drinking purpose were
constructed at the same time. We, the Sai youth ourselves
labored to dig the septic tank and the foundation for the
water tank. On the day of the inauguration, the village
youths decorated the whole village with enthusiasm with the
grand opening ceremony. After which, palki seva was done and
Swamis photograph was taken around the village with the
youths singing bhajans. Every villager waited at their door
steps with deep gratitude and love and performed aarthi to
swami. The impact of the
development work with swamis grace has made the nearby
villages to start their own youth wing with the support of
the Sai youth. Thus, Bhagawan message of love and seva has
started spreading in remote areas with the dedicated efforts
of Sai youths. The original name of Thombarambedu village is
now overlooked and the villagers in that entire district
call this as
. SAI BABA VILLAGE
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