SHANTI SENA

The activities of the Trust started with the work of Shanti Sena.  Mahatma Gandhi Vidya Peedom is aimed at giving training to peace volunteers to take up the leadership in building up a society based on non-violence. Thirty volunteers including five women were given training in the first batch. The message of peace was spread in the neighbourhood and 12,000 people signed the peace pledge. Ten batches had been trained as Santhi Sainiks.


Dr GR LIBRARY

The Mahatma Gandhi Vidya Peedom has a well-equipped library with books on Gandhiana [plenty of books on Gandhi, by Gandhi], politics, history, literature, sociology etc. open to the trainees and social workers interested in acquiring knowledge. The library has in its stock over 5,000 rare books.  Most of them are Dr G Ramachandran�s personal collections donated to the Vidya Peedom.


NON-VIOLENT REVOLUTION
 
The Mahatma Gandhi Vidya Peedom is publishing a bi-lingual magazine by name �Non-violent Revolution� from 1981.  The publication continues uninterruptedly for 15 years now and is subscribed by many from inside and outside the country.  Through this magazine of 8 pages Mahatma Gandhi Vidya Peedom aims to achieve two results, to spread the message of non-violence based on constructive work and to keep in touch with Gandhian workers and others concerned throughout India and also in some foreign countries.


PEOPLE�S EDUCATION PROGRAMME

This programme was in charge of the Managing Trustee GR himself then.  This included daily reading of the newspapers and conversational classes for the workers.  The workers were let known what was happening in Kerala and in and around India.

Community prayers according Gandhian line are conducted on every Friday. Important days of the years, Gandhi Jayanthi, Independence day, Onam, Christmas etc. are celebrated. Adult education classes for the illiterate workers are also conducted.  The programme for giving employment to the poor women in this area to earn a living and also learn simultaneously is one of its important works.

The Trust has also constituted a �Ooroottukala Progressive Youth Group�. About 60 to 100 youth under the leadership of Sister Mythili meet once a week, have discussions on current issues. They for the first time in Neyyattinkara Muncipality organized �Children�s day� on November 14th, which continues even today.


SOCIAL FORESTRY
 
With the help of Social Forestry Department of Kerala the Madhavi Mandiram Loka Seva Trust had raised lakhs of seedlings of 16 varieties of various forest trees in Soundaram Farm. The project involved more than 100 women of the neighbourhood. This project continued for more than 5 years.


CHILD HEALTH CENTRES
 
The Trust has set up Anganwadis and baby cr�ches with assistance from Central Social Welfare Advisory Board to give relief to children who lack nutrition and care.  There is one cr�che at Madhavi Mandiram campus itself for children of the age group below 3 years.  There are one cr�che each at Ancode and Mambazhakkara. The cr�ches are conducted in an orderly manner.  Three teachers and three ayahs are employed in these sections. The Trust bears the cost of providing protein diet to more than 25 children in each cr�che in addition to 10% of the routine expenses.

GR FIBRE UNIT
 
A unit for training girls to make handicrafts from various kinds of fibres [like Banana fibre, talipot fibre, pine apple fibre etc] was started in 1985 with assistance from Kerala Khadi & Village Industries Board.  Over 520 girls have been given training here.  An extensive banana plantation to produce the requited fire for the unit had also been tried.


GR KHADI SAREE PRODUCTION UNIT
 
The GR Khadi saries woven here are similar to Kancheepuram silk saries in their designs. They have drawn attention from all India market and is favourite among khadi wearers. 130 workers under 4 supervisors had  produced saries worth over 6lakhs every year. The main feature of this unit was that the total production �from spinning of the yarn to weaving and packing of these prestigious saries� are done under one roof.  This unit had the assistance from Central Social Welfare Advisory Board and CAPART.

SOUNDARAM FARM

Soundaram Farm that keeps alive the memory of  Dr. Ramachandran�s wife gives vegetables, coconuts, pepper and fruits to the workers of the Trust and local public.  Agriculture is done here mostly by volunteered labour.


SHORT STAY HOME

For destitute and deserted women � socially handicapped women we had a section called �SAKTHI MANDIRAM�. Here we not only give physical protection but also mental and spiritual training to give them self confidence to stand up in the life on their own in moral and right way. Over 150 girls had been rehabilitated till now.


Dr GR PUBLIC SCHOOL

�Viswabharati�, Rabindranath Tagore�s University, in Santhiniketan awarded GR the highest Title: �DESIKOTTAMA�- �the best Teacher�. Being an educationalist all his life, he wanted to impart all his knowledge and experience for the future generation. His dream was to bring up children as �International Citizens.�

His firm belief was, if we train the child with all sorts of physical, mental and spiritual skills, he/she would certainly blossom out into a world citizen.

A child when he leaves our school after finishing his 12th Standard, should be a master in his academic athletics & extracurricular activities and the highest values of life. Whether the child belongs to rich or poor, an intelligent or dull parent that does not come in the way of diligent training he used to emphasize. There is no caste or creed for education.

Thus was born our Dr GR PUBLIC SCHOOL in 1990, with specific aims & ideals with Sister Mythili as the Principal.
This beautiful valley type of campus certainly reminds us the Gurukula System of education.

                                                   Our motto is �Free, Frank, Fearless�.

If we inculcate these ideas clearly in the child�s mind he will become an ideal person.

From the beginning we are very careful in bringing up the children along the guidelines laid up by our Founder Desikottama Dr G Ramachandran.

Having started with 60 children, we are now twelve years old under the careful guidance of our Managing Trustee, Sister Mythili who has dedicated her life for the development of this school and the students.

Two batches of class X students were presented for the AISSE examination in the year 2002. It is a matter of pride that all the students passed with either first class or distinctions. Class XI with Science stream was started during the academic year 2002 � 03. Accordingly class XII was added in this academic year. Thus our school has become a full-fledged Senior-Secondary School following the CBSE syllabus.

More facilities and equipment have been added to our SIR ISAAC NEWTON SCIENCE LAB [Physics, Chemistry and Biology labs] so as to provide better lab service to the senior secondary students.

PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA COMPUTER LAB provides all facilities to Computer education to our children from KG to XII with the aid of NIIT. We give computer education and also computer aided education. We are proud to declare our GR Community is totally computer literate this academic year.

The Pattern of Education in our Dr GRPS is a rare combination of the ideas and ideals of Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi and Dr G Ramachandran.

The school offers facilities for moral and religious instructions and YOGODA for pupils of all standards. We lay stress on development of character and discipline and in fostering healthy Indian Tradition & Culture. On all Fridays we have inter-religious prayers, which is a specialty of Gandhian Institutions.

The Madhavi Mandiram Loka Seva Trust under the leadership of our Managing Trustee Sister Mythili is taking keen interest in all the activities of the school. The Parent Teacher Association has also been extending its full co-operation in all the activities of the school.

God Gurus and GR will always guide our path always and in all ways.


Dr GR PLAY HOME

The children of the average and above average families are availing this facility for the children below 5 years. This is the most effective unit in this Trust. Like beautiful flowers about to blossom, we have 235 children with 10 teachers and 5 helpers. To make the children socialize, healthy, learn good habits, correct pronunciation and to grow happily with all pleasant manners we do our best. We have a Toy Library for the children. Another important attraction is that we provide hot nutritious food for the children in noon.


Dr GR NATIONAL MEMORIAL COMMITTEE

To perpetuate the memory of Dr GR we have formed a GR National Memorial Committee with the then President of India   Dr KR Narayanan as Patron. With the assistance of Soka Gakkai International we have installed a Ramachandran � Ikeda Award, to be given to a youth below 40 who works for Peace and Non-violence or to an institution, which works for Peace and Nonviolence and encourages youth along these lines. Till now we have distributed 4 such Awards.  We conduct seminars and workshops on that occasion. The centenary celebration of Dr GR will be taken up shortly.