Activities of the Charitable Trust from financial year 2019-20 to 2021-22

Arutperunjothi Vallalar Charitable Trust is a registered charitable trust working in the service of humanity since 2009. The major focus of the trust has been helping the poor & the needy by providing daily food, promotion of the education of weaker sections of the society and also medical aid to the needy persons.
The Trust has been supporting various people by providing free food for the needy, education for person with disabilities, education & training to rural youth, old age homes for old aged people, women empowerment by providing various financial aid, poverty alleviation program, annadhanam and also saving various animals from cruelty at various parts of the country.

Main Aims and Object of the Trust

1. To distribute free food daily and on full moon day to general public.
2. To establish orphanage for aged, destitute, widowers, handicapped, leprosy, insane and crippled children with ethnic problem.
3. To raise and promote social, cultural, educational, humanitarian standards and help in ameliorate the conditions of down trodden minorities and backward classes, also to help the destitute poor and needy.
4. To establish and run primary, secondary schools, colleges of Arts, commerce, science, management, vocational training centers.
5. To conduct programs for all classes of people to attain good health and mind management programs for attaining better mind.
6. To establish health centers, hospitals and also support the cases who are in need of medical and surgical help
7. To provide scholarship and educational assistance to poor, needy and deserving students
8. To establish institutions specially to support the cause of women’s education and empowerment.
9. To promote child care and health projects for the poorer children.
10. To help minority people for their socio economic development.
11. To effectively organise functional literacy, adult education and social awareness programmes with the assistance and resources from both the government and non – government organisation in India.

Tribal Children Education And Skill Development Project In Jawaad Hills

Thiruvarutprakasa VALLALAR, the great munificent and mystic who preached and propogated the path of SANMARGAM. He is an embodiment of compassion, who gave importance to formal education for
children and even for adults besides teaching them spiritual principles. VALLALAR SANMARGA PAADASALAI and SANMARGA VAASAGASALAI were the two institutions proposed by him, to
initiate his vision of providing education to all the sections of people without any difference of caste, creed and religion etc.. He was the torch bearer for all the educationalist after him, who instructed to teach students in all three languages namely tamil, sanskrit and english. His work towards literate society was immense and it is ineffable.
FIRST LIGHT – a distinguished project with a mission to give education, livelihood and skill development to the tribal children in all means, living in the Jawaad Hills. It is an initiative of ARUTPERUNJOTHI VALLALAR CHARITABLE TRUST, a non profit organisation having head office at Tiruvannamalai following and propagating the principles of SANMARGAM, the path trod by SWAMI VALLALAR and guided by our Guru His Holiness Sri Babu Sadhu Ayya.

The Beginning: How Did It Start With

During the Corona pandemic lockdown time, schools across the country had been closed along with many other institutions. Students all over the country could be able to continue their education through online. But, the students in Jawaad Hills had no opportunities to continue their studies online as there was no Internet connectivity in their area.

Our sadhus of our trust came to know about this desperate situation and at once addressed the plight of these helpless children. This action plan named “FIRST LIGHT – THE VALLALAR SCHOOL” is the result of this initiative. We appointed group of teachers totally 5 in number to instruct them. This kind hearted teachers stayed there and taught them lessons and ‘Vallalar School’ emerged in Periyakeelppattu village, Thenmalai Athippattu post, Jamunamarathur Taluk, Tiruvannamalai District. Along with formal education and skill development, these children were also imparted with MORAL and VIRTUAL BASED SPIRITUAL LIFE EDUCATION disciplines like showing Compassion for Other living beings.
As a result of this, like how a lamp on the hill top spreads its light to the surrounding areas, we could extend our educational work to the nine nearby villages in the Jawaad hills.

Challenges faced:

This educational initiative named Vallalar School started to grow gradually and spread into many villages in Jawaad Hills. Practically, this required understanding and necessity to a few basic things inorder to work effectively. We realise that an understanding of Jawaad Hills is needed to know their life and challenges there. So we made a study and analysis of the physical characteristics and resourses of the hill, daily routine and life style of the inhabitants there, their customs and habits, nature of jobs, employment opportunities, trade/business practices, social infrastructure, road facilities, health, education, women’s standard of living, climate, information technology etc.. it has clearly pictured that they are lacking in some areas when comparing to other places/villages.

Next thing is for any volunteers, to come there, stay and work in such a hill is a challenging one i.e. without mobile connectivitity network in this fast moving generation. It is possible for those who have a mind of charity and selfless service and is difficult for people who are used to regular life comforts and facilities to come and continue working here in a longer run. Taking account of all these challenges, initially two service minded volunteers were selected and arranged to do the activities. We have made arrangements for their accommodation and other basic needs in the Erukkampattu village. On 21st February 2020 we have started ‘ VALLALAR SANMARGA PAADASALAI ’ in Periyakeelpattu village, Jawaad Hills as part of our Jawaad Hills Tribal Educational and skill development Project. Initially only three students joined our school. So inorder to increase the strength, a three days publicity walk was carried out in the villages of the Jawaad hills as a grass root level of educational awareness for the people. As a result of this initiative, the number of students joined increased from three to thirty-two in count. It was practically a challenging task to sustain there for long time and serve the villages without good road connectivity. But our First light-Sanmarga paadasalai school continued to grow. Classes were conducted continuously without any hurdles evenafter strictly following the government regulations and norms in the country to prevent the spread of pandemic. After the pandemic lock down period, schools have started working normally and there was shortage of teachers mostly in all the forest department schools in Jawaad hills. Under Jamunamarathur taluk, there are five forest department schools namely Melpattu forest middle school, Puliyur forest middle school, Vilamucchi forest middle school, Kalyanamanthai forest middle school and Kovilur forest middle school. In this we have started our service first in the Puliyur forest middle school.

Student Statistics of Forestry Middle School, Puliyur :

Our volunteers are extending their services to the aforementioned school by assisting in teaching practices. After a period of six months we have extended our service to Melpattu forest middle school where students strength is around 112 and apart from education, we have focussed on skill development programmes like communication, logical Reasoning, Quantitative ability, managerial ability, creativity, comprehension and subject knowledge here in this school. In the coming years, we have proposed to cover rest of all the three forest department schools in this area where around 340 students would be benefited. Now here in these two forest schools with children around 252 in count, we focus on other fields like physical education, yoga classes, art & craft classes and computer training classes. During weekends in our VALLALAR SANMARGA PAADASAALAI Periyakeelpattu area, we conduct workshops in organic farming, Vermi compost preparation and horticulture.

Achievements :

1. The number of students who came to study in our Vallalar Sanmarga Paadasalai in Jawaad hills started increasing in its count.
2. We have succeeded to certain level in creating awareness among their parents about various government schemes various benefiting them, highlighting the importance of education for women and in convincing them that the minimum age for marriage is 21 years.
3. Colleges are not there in the Jawaad hills. But through our initiative for the upliftment of women, five girls who studied here in Erukkampattu village were guided and motivated to go outside of their place from Jawaad hills and join college studies in other towns and cities.
4. Following are the details of the girls (names and courses joined) who recently started their higher education courses.
   Kalaiyarasi – BA Tamil
   Sandhya – Teacher Education
   Sevvanthi – Bachelor of Science
   Jyoti – Bachelor of Business Administration
   Vanaroja – Bachelor of Economics
   Women are now looking for multi-disciplinary courses. Taking them as an example and role model, now other women there are also motivated and gained confident to come into the limelight.
5. Due to the awareness created among the parents, the dropout rate of the students in the school has reduced significantly.
6. Child marriages have decreased and female education began to increase. In the last two years, child marriage has become nil in this village.
   Our Vallalar mission, realising the need and necessity of this program for the entire Jawaad hills, have planned to do welfare programs like street dramas, employment camps, etc.. as the next attempt to execute for these people.
7. A separate coaching class was started for the first time for the students of Class VIII of Puliyur Forestry School by Vallalar Mission for NMSS National Skill Test for Scholarship conducted by the Central Government.
   Five students – three girls and two boys, were trained in the group and they were successful in this training course due to efficient model tests, exercises as well as encouragement from the teachers. This is the first achievement in the Forestry School.
   Today, those five students are getting 1000 rupees per month from the Central Government. Thus our efforts helped in reducing their financial constraints.

Future Plans :

1. Elimination of shortage of teachers in Forest Department schools.
2. Get trained in “Ennum Ezhuthum” scheme of Government of Tamil Nadu and serve the schools as intermediate teachers.
3. Taking part in the “Breakfast Program”.
4. Encouraging volunteers to act as a support for the “Education at Home” programme.
5. Help to provide better school infrastructure, toilet facilities.
6. Introduction of vocational courses like computer class, yoga class, and industrial education even in places without internet facility

Government Recognition for Volunteers :

1. The teacher who worked in this project was appointed as an intermediate teacher along with a stipend from the State Planning Committee Fund.
2. Also honoured a female teacher by giving the post of head teacher in “KasturbaGandhi Girls Boarding School”.
3. Incorporated our volunteers in Tamil Nadu government’s excellent education service called “Illam Thedi Kalvi”.
4. Employed our volunteer as an intermediate teacher in the Forest department school after getting special training through the Prime Minister’s flagship and core educational program “Ennum Ezhuthum”.

Compilation :

1. Gradual introduction of Gurukula system of education, which is the ancient Indian system of education.
2. To give moral education along with school education.
3. Donate education to satisfy the hunger for knowledge.
4. Jawaad Hill in Tiruvannamalai district will excel in knowledge, piety and morals and act as a support that is admired by the world.

“Kalvisevai, Kadavulsevai!
Varungaala Vidhaigal Vidhaippom!
Vidhaithavan Naam Uranginaalum
Vidhaigal Urangaathu!
Mulaikkattum Sanmargam!
Malarattum Manidhaneyam! Aanmaneyam!”

(Educational service is serving God!
Let’s sow the seeds of the future!
Even if the sower sleeps, the seeds do not sleep!
May righteousness/morality grow!
Let humanity flourish!
So do Spiritual love!)

Future Plans of the Trust

1. To construct a centre for medical Aid for all the classes of people by providing free healthcare treatment and conducting awareness program to live a healthy life.
2. To provide home for homeless widows, destitute children, create shelter home for aged etc.
3. To construct a higher secondary school and junior college. Also construct a centre for the vocational training and empowerment of girls and women’s.
4. To construct and run technical schools, study centre and non-formal education classes.
5. To construct primary health centre to provide medical help to the poor and needy.
6. To establish a home for destitute girls and children who are victims of nature calamities and disasters. To establish a complete village to shelter such orphan children with the facilities of schools, medical centre etc.
7. To establish a home for animals (Ex. Goshala,) to protect themselves from being killed either by accidents or from slaughter houses.