Rajamahendravaram: Orphans get free education at Sri Gowthami Jeeva Karunya Sangham

Rajamahendravaram: Sri Karunyananda Swamiji, way back in 1940 started Sri Gowthami Jeeva Karunya Sangham with a noble cause in the historical and cultural city of Rajamahendravaram.

The objective of the Sangham is to provide shelter to the orphan children and the aged people as well as people afflicted with leprosy also known as Hansen's disease. It also provides free meals to all the inmates as well as free education to the orphan children.

As per the wishes of its founder, Sri Karunyananda Swamiji, the 80-year-old institution is still functioning in the grand city of culture receiving laurels from various quarters.

At present, the orphanage is being run on Godavari bund and the old-age home and home for leprosy patients are being run on Lalacheruvu road.

Mainly, the institutions are running on charity from philanthropists as many people are coming forward to provide breakfast, lunch and supper voluntarily whenever they want to celebrate the birthdays of their children or their wedding anniversaries and other important days in their lives or the lives of other family members.

However, the people who wish to donate for the breakfast, lunch or supper need to register their names and book dates in advance to avoid clash of dates with others. If there is no donor, the Endowments department will provide breakfast, lunch and supper to the inmates on its own. But such situation occurs very rarely.

As many as 30 children in the age group of 5 to 15 years are in the orphanage and of them 25 are studying first class to seventh standard in Pragati Vignan School. The management of the Sangham is providing them transportation too.

Of the 93 inmates at Lalachervu centre 11 are leprosy patients and the remaining 82 are the aged people. However, there are separate blocks for both the groups.

In the children's orphanage a philanthropist needs to pay an amount of Rs 1,000 for breakfast, Rs 2,500 for lunch and Rs 2,500 for supper for 30 children. Likewise, Rs 4,500 is needed to be paid for providing food to the old age home and leprosy patients.

Moreover, if any donor pays Rs 40,000 the management provides food on one day as per their wish to the children, the aged and the leprosy patients and for Rs 50,000 they provide special meals for all of them. The people who donate Rs 1 lakh are called as Raja Poshakulu and who donate Rs 1.5 lakh are called as Maharaja Poshakulu and the amount will be deposited in the bank.

Speaking to 'The City Hans' here on Thursday, executive officer PYVV Satyanarayana Murthi, also known as Tarakeshwara Rao, said that at present the Sangham has a fixed deposit of Rs 1.23 crore in the commercial bank and the interest earned on the deposit is being spent for the welfare activities of the orphans, the aged and the leprosy patients.

Recently, MP Margani Bharat Ram sanctioned an amount of Rs 1 crore from his MP LAD funds to the institution. There are plans to construct a multistoried building at Lalachervu centre to house more needy people. The Municipal Corporation has also come forward to provide electric lights to the entire premises and also drinking water tap connections.

The health of the children, the aged and the leprosy patients would be regularly checked by physicians and utmost care is taken for their wellbeing.

The Andhra Pradesh State Government's Endowments department took over the control of Sri Gowthami Jeeva Karunya Sangham many years ago and the Sangham has since then been working under its control effectively.

Statue of Karunyananda Swamiji, founder of Sri Gowthami Jeeva Karunya Sangham