PRABHAVATI raises $ 130,000 for AIM For Seva Kids !!!

India-Herald Article is here.

More photos taken at the event ...

A POEM ON PRABHAVATI !!!
by Gauri Mehta

Ten US cities hosted ‘Prabhavati’ 

a beautiful love story, in divinity

Choreography by sweet Rukmini 

of the Raadhakalpa dance company

The dancers were graceful

The events were successful

There was much applause

Aim for Seva was the cause 

A fundraiser with a mission

To empower with education

the bright rural children of our nation

 in chatralayas, through graduation

Volunteers worked together and hard

To bring more awareness in this regard

Holding up high the pledge card

At every event in the Indo-US yard

AIM for Seva was their call

Handing flyers, posters on the wall

Donations they got big and small

To enable kids to stand up tall

Six months went by in this way

The movement got stronger everyday

Until ten events were done in array

2000 children supported - hooray!

Now’s the time to acknowledge those

because of whom the events arose

Srini, national coordinator, kudos!

The Prabhavati troupe - to you, bravos!

New Jersey team, like Mahalakshmi

Big donors many she brought to see

The AIM work for our country

A vision of Pujya Swamiji

Pramod and Lata hosted the first show

In Elmira,where  the artists bowed low

Last year Nayani and now Prabhavati

An impressive audience of 650

Srini and Savithri, pro at hospitality

Organizing for a decade, in Detroit city

Relentlessly, with the AIM committee

Growing awareness like leaves on a tree

Raleigh-Durham, Boston and Albany

Guru, Kumar & Kumar, and Gauri

East coast outreached in harmony 

 to the Indian and American community

Dr Siva’s team in Washington D.C.

Emailed and called many joyfully

Donors and Purna Vidya family

Came together in unanimity

The Philly team was led by Nagesh

Dedicated outreach for our desh

With unified voice the team expressed

The crowd gave and the event impressed

In Houston, Prasad, Suma and volunteers teamed

‘Sold out show!’, with big smiles they beamed

Together with Arbindoo and his Dallas team

All made the Texas events flow like a dream

Many volunteers led by Sudhakar

Awesome video played on projector

The tech teams, no glitch did hinder

Divine blessings poured beyond measure

Pujya Swamiji’s grace is vast

Janet’s dedication is the mast

AIM for Seva message was broadcast

 The crowds expectations were surpassed!

Everyone is feeling the glow

of this successful 2013 show 

The AIM leadership led by Sheelaji

Avantikaji and Piyushji,  

Graciously i thank all of thee

From that heart of a devotee

In which all of us and Prabhavati

Blessings of Pujya Dayananda Saraswati

Merge as ONE in AIM for Seva

in US of America

Mothers' Day on May 11, 2013

AIM FOR SEVA HOUSTON CHAPTER

SALUTES ALL MOTHERS AT THEIR MOTHER’S DAY EVENT ON SATURDAY, MAY 11TH 2013
ANJALI CENTER, SUGAR LAND

Here's a funny video for Mothers' Day:  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=508706093269 

HOUSTON: “Mom” is the word!  AIM for Seva held an exciting get together to honor Houston Mothers and to celebrate motherhood. “Houston has a very vibrant Indian culture”, says Suma Mudan of AIM for Seva, “and the credit goes to the tenacity of mothers taking the time and trouble to inculcate Indian tradition and values to their children”.  Many of the Houston Moms are professionals and perform the delicate tasks of balancing household chores, demands of profession,  educating children, taking care of the elder relatives and yet, manage to have lots of fun.

“AIM for Seva has a close relationship with motherhood and education”, says Suma Mudan.  “Our entire movement was started by a disheartened tribal mother, Papammal, who could not send her children to school because of poverty, distance, safety and security.  She challenged Swami Dayananda Saraswati to bring “Homes to Schools”. Thus was born the unique concept of “Chatralayas” or student homes, where we provide food, shelter, education, clothing, healthcare and teach ethics in a safe, secure and nurturing environment”.

The Event was held at Anjali Performance Center, Sugar Land on May 11.  The festivities started at 6 PM, with a social hour for guests to meet and greet, and concluded with dinner.

The primary focus of the event was to felicitate several senior mothers for contributions to families and  communities. The mothers who were honored include Shakuntala Malhotra, Anasuya Devi, Seetha Devi, Lalita Mangipudi, Pankajam Rangaswamy, and Thulasi Radhakrishnan.

We also inaugurated the Women’s’ Co-op during the event and had pickles and powders for sale.  There were fun events planned, entertainment by Andhra Mirchi Radio Team, bingo games with great prizes, and other as well. Around 120 folks joined us and made this a memorable event for Houston Moms.

AIM for Seva celebrated Mothers day to honor young and “not-so-young” mothers – from all walks of life.  The evening was marked with fun and laughter.  The highlight of the evening was a fashion walk by mother/daughter and mother/son teams.  The young mothers were dressed fashionably and the young girls were very cute showing off their talents.

Another unique theme of the evening was to encourage the men in the audience to dot the foreheads of celebrity actresses while blind folded, and also for them to guess the prices of every day items.  Several men walked away with gifts they can use right away.  A couple of them even won glitzy sarees for the women in their lives.

The most important part of the evening was honoring our senior mothers – the oldest was 94 years and the youngest was 68 years young.  AIM honored their contributions to their families and their communities.  It was heartening to see several generations represented on the same venue.

AIM for Seva is organizing their annual fund raising event PRABHAVATI on October 4 and will be publishing more details soon.

For further information visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/135714760183/

Donate to help build a Student Home in every district in India!

Here are some facts:

1.   AIM for Seva is a 501(c)(3) organization with a Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

Astounding Statistics

1.   Over 42 million children aged between 4 to 14 are NOT in school.
2.   Dropout rates are as high 84% among children in rural India.

What has AIM for Seva achieved so far?

1.   100 Student Homes, serving over 3,000 children every year.
2.   Has touched the lives of over 20,000 children across 5,000 villages.

3.   School drop rates at Student Homes are less than 1% while the dropout rates in rural India is an astounding 84%.

4.   Administrative expenses are less than 10%.

Donate now to help us go from 100 to 600 AIM for Seva Student Homes.  

Houston has a Lion's Share!

Many Chaatralayas (student homes) are being generously supported (some of them sponsored) by Houstonians!!

Houston is becoming one of the key players in the growth and sustenance of many AIM student homes for the rural and tribal children in India.

See : http://aimforsevahouston.blogspot.com/2010/09/update-on-houstonian-kindness.html 

Also see : http://www.aimforseva.org/projects/ 

Women's Co-op!

AIM For Seva Houston Chapter is very excited to share the news that we recently started a Houston Women’s Co-op.  Several women are investing their sweat equity to make yummy pickles, and powders!!  These are 100% home made, the material is mostly from our own backyards, and no preservatives are used.  We will officially inaugurate this as well on Mother’s day celebrations event.

Prepared with a prayerful attitude !!!

A great milestone!

 LUCKNOW, U.P.

The day will soon arrive! The 100th student home of AIM for Seva, specially chosen by Pujya Swamiji Dayananda Saraswati, is to come up in Lucknow, nearly 30 kilometres from the city's railway station. The home will be constructed on 15,000 square feet of land, and is designed by architects Sri Raj Deep Gupta and Smt. Sashi Gupta. Among the educational institutions near the home are a school and a couple of colleges: Heera Lal Yadav Inter and Degree College and the Ambalika Institute of Management.

The Bhumi Puja for the home was held on February 28, with the blessings of Pujya Swamiji. Among the participants at the function were Dr. Asha Seth, who initiated and funded the project, her nephew Sri Sandeep Seth, the principal of the nearby college, the pradhan of the village, and some of Swamini Tattvajnanananda Saraswati's Vedanta students. The yajamanas of the Bhumi puja were Smt. Deepa Bhargav and Sri Viswamitra, students of Swamini Tattvajnanananda. The first bricks for the historic building were laid by Sri Lakshmi Rastogi of the Rohtas Construction Group to the sounds of the Sankatanashana Ganesh Stotram, Saradha Stotram, and Guru Stotram. The Rohtas Construction Group has been magnanimous by lending its logistic and technical help to AIM for Seva as part of their seva activities. Suri Associates, the builders, sponsored the refreshments at the event. The function was ably organized by Smt. Sudha Hansraj, student of Swamini Tattvajnanananda Saraswati. An auspicious beginning to a noble milestone!