"Meet the minimum needs of the starving masses; Vedanta will follow automatically"

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Ten Postgraduate Sadhus Serving Bankura's Poor

http://www.the-week.com/23aug03/life7.htm

 

BANKURA, WEST BENGAL, INDIA: August 3, 2003: Ten sanyasins from the

Matrivedi Shamayita Math in West Bengal, India have founded a group

called Atmadwip to make the poor economically self-reliant. The

sanyasins are between the ages of 25 and 33, are very well-educated and

come from middle class families. They help poor farmers in West

Bengal's Bankura district, organise mobile medical camps in 14

villages. Close to 200 patients are treated daily by over a dozen

doctors from various medical colleges who regularly offer free service

at these clinics. Some of the medicines come from the samples that the

physicians receive and the Math purchases the rest. The Math also runs

an English-meduim school for girls. "Our aim is to groom tribal and

scheduled caste girl children along with children from other castes and

religions so that they may grow up without any caste prejudices or

religious differences," said Sanyasin Pracheta. The sanyasins have

rigorous regimen and work tirelessly on various projects. They wake at

3 a.m. and retire to bed close to midnight. Prayer, meditation and

exercise are followed by the administrative activities of the Math

which includes liaising with donors, banks, corporate houses and

government agencies, managing the medical unit and the Math's

publications. Prabhuji, the founder of the Math, has said that to

starving people self-realisation has no meaning. So, he has asked the

sanyasins to "to meet the minimum needs of the starving masses; Vedanta

will follow automatically."