Village development

Last weekend, a group of YFS volunteers visited two small villages near Mysore: Saragur and Hosahalli. There we met with Dr. Balasubramanian, founder of Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, and got to see the wonderful activities this organization is running. SVYM has been working in tribal villages in this area for 20 years, bringing health, education, and community development to these remote and difficult-to-access places.

In Saragur, we visited a hospital run by SVYM. It is just like any modern hospital with high quality facilities. Healthcare is provided free of charge to villagers and those below the poverty line, and at a nominal charge to others. We also visited a school which was of similar high quality. The classrooms were huge, there were proper desks and chairs, computer labs, science labs, etc. In Hosahalli, we visited another school for tribal children. It was very well adapted to suit the needs of the tribal students. For example, keeping in mind that these kids grow up with nature and a 4-wall building would seem foreign to them, the classrooms are semi-outdoors.

This was the first time I visited a village in India, and it was a really great experience. The natural beauty and biodiversity was completely different from the urban environment that I'm used to. It was also very encouraging to see the tremendous work that SVYM is doing to make help develop the village, without losing the beautiful culture and simple lifestyle of the villagers.

One thing that really struck me was Dr. Balasubramanian's dedication. He started these activities when he was a medical student at the age of 19, an age at which most of us are engrossed in school and friends. Despite being a doctor and at the top of his college class, he voluntarily underwent tremendous hardship, both financial and otherwise, to fulfill his dream of village development. His work has inspired hundreds of other people to join him and the activities that the organization runs are sustainable, as SVYM puts heavy emphasis on the local community's involvement. Hearing Dr. Balasubramanian's story convinced me that people can create positive change no matter what their age; all that matters is the drive to serve and sacrifice.