Two upcoming events in Chennai
Wanted to inform the group about two events in the next few days in Chennai both significant.
1. The annual Nalloor Vattam gathers this year as Ennangalin Sangamam once again, on the 6th January, Sunday between 10 to 5 at the Hindu College Campus in Pattabiram (near Avadi) in the outskirts of the city. For those who don't know about this network - this is a network of volunteers from across Tamilnadu. These people come from different background, economical, cultural, religious and political. They are united by the value of volunteerism. Many of them have taken it upon themselves to address a societal issue in their own neighbourhood. A factory worker who provides scholarships for dalit students near Coimbatore for over a decade through additional revenue he generates by cleaning toilets in industries, a brother and sister who take of special children in their house because they had one such sibling who died early in life due to improper care, a middle age lady who has taken it upon herself to conduct funeral rites for unclaimed dead bodies in government hospitals, volunteers who are walking blood donor databases, youth groups who have set-up study centres in villages, retired men who volunteer to cook and feed people through annadanam every day,...the list is endless, each one of these are heroes in their own location and position. This year the gathering may have about 500 such heroes.
The annual event called Ennangalin Sangamam, is designed as a insight and inspiration sharing session by this network. The network is not even a registered body and has come about because of some of volunteers decided to seek out 'good people' (Naloor Vattam) in other parts and link them up. A directory of the network has been released on this day. Please contact Sri. J. Prabhakar, coordinator for further details - 9444908317
2. The Ramakrishna Vijayam - Tamil monthly of the Ramakrishna Order conducts an annual competition called the Youth Day Competition (or YDC for short) each year. The competition is conducted for three age groups - 10 -13, 13-16, 17 - 21. The uniqueness of this competition is that it poses a few open ended questions regarding the current status of society and expects the students to respond to these in their own words. With the scope rather large for response, the student is made to think on his own and pen what he wants to do on those issues in his / her immediate society, neighbourhood or nation. The response sheets are read through (regardless of how big they are) and a large number of awards given. The best entries in each category are invited to Chennai and an award given to them on the 12th January each year, the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, commemorated as the National Youth Day.
This year too, the 6th YDC award ceremony will take place at the Ramakrishna Math campus on the 12th of January. Over a lakh students have participated from across Tamilnadu in this competition this year, it has grown from a participation of 4 thousand in the first year to this number. I think this must be the only competition where the students are asked to think and write on their own and still there is such a large response. The main award winners will be made to read out their entry during the function which is celebrated in a big way by the magazine.
1. The annual Nalloor Vattam gathers this year as Ennangalin Sangamam once again, on the 6th January, Sunday between 10 to 5 at the Hindu College Campus in Pattabiram (near Avadi) in the outskirts of the city. For those who don't know about this network - this is a network of volunteers from across Tamilnadu. These people come from different background, economical, cultural, religious and political. They are united by the value of volunteerism. Many of them have taken it upon themselves to address a societal issue in their own neighbourhood. A factory worker who provides scholarships for dalit students near Coimbatore for over a decade through additional revenue he generates by cleaning toilets in industries, a brother and sister who take of special children in their house because they had one such sibling who died early in life due to improper care, a middle age lady who has taken it upon herself to conduct funeral rites for unclaimed dead bodies in government hospitals, volunteers who are walking blood donor databases, youth groups who have set-up study centres in villages, retired men who volunteer to cook and feed people through annadanam every day,...the list is endless, each one of these are heroes in their own location and position. This year the gathering may have about 500 such heroes.
The annual event called Ennangalin Sangamam, is designed as a insight and inspiration sharing session by this network. The network is not even a registered body and has come about because of some of volunteers decided to seek out 'good people' (Naloor Vattam) in other parts and link them up. A directory of the network has been released on this day. Please contact Sri. J. Prabhakar, coordinator for further details - 9444908317
2. The Ramakrishna Vijayam - Tamil monthly of the Ramakrishna Order conducts an annual competition called the Youth Day Competition (or YDC for short) each year. The competition is conducted for three age groups - 10 -13, 13-16, 17 - 21. The uniqueness of this competition is that it poses a few open ended questions regarding the current status of society and expects the students to respond to these in their own words. With the scope rather large for response, the student is made to think on his own and pen what he wants to do on those issues in his / her immediate society, neighbourhood or nation. The response sheets are read through (regardless of how big they are) and a large number of awards given. The best entries in each category are invited to Chennai and an award given to them on the 12th January each year, the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, commemorated as the National Youth Day.
This year too, the 6th YDC award ceremony will take place at the Ramakrishna Math campus on the 12th of January. Over a lakh students have participated from across Tamilnadu in this competition this year, it has grown from a participation of 4 thousand in the first year to this number. I think this must be the only competition where the students are asked to think and write on their own and still there is such a large response. The main award winners will be made to read out their entry during the function which is celebrated in a big way by the magazine.
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