Alpha to Omega Newsletter – February 2019

February 2019

From the Editor's Desk

Hari Om Friend,

By the grace of Sadguru Shree Aniruddha, our year began on a joyous note with Bhaktibhav Chaitanyaand Vardhamaan Vratadhiraj. The Vrat is observed in the month of Margashirsh, as per Sadguru’s guidance. Shraddhavans fondly participate in the Vrat, which not only fills our lives with positivity but also enhances the virtues in us.

Since the year 2004, every January, the Kolhapur Medical and Healthcare Camp is held that is a one of its kind and serves the needy sections of the rural society.

Contents

• From The Editor's Desk
• Kolhapur Medical and Healthcare Camp
• Aniruddha's Academy of Disaster Management
• Achiever

Alpha to Omega - the Monthly Newsletter

Volume 4 | Issue 2 | Month - February 2019 | Page 1

Alpha to Omega - the Monthly Newsletter

Every year, Shree Aniruddha Upasana Foundation along with ‘Dilasa Medical Trust and Rehabilitation Centre’, ‘Aniruddha’s Academy of Disaster Management’ and sister organizations organise the ‘Kolhapur Medical and Healthcare Camp’.

The Kolhapur Medical and Healthcare Camp is an initiative undertaken to work for the underprivileged in the society. It not only addresses their medical problems but also contributes to eradicating various other fundamental issues, misconceptions often leading to unhygienic and deteriorating conditions favourable for the spread of diseases and scores of more problems.

The Kolhapur Medical & Healthcare Camp, a brainchild of Dr. Aniruddha Dhairyadhar Joshi, MD (Medicine) is a classic example of how detailed pre-planning and proper analysis of data collected can yield spectacular results. The first Kolhapur Medical & Healthcare Camp (KMHC) was conducted in the year 2004 by Dilasa Medical Trust & Rehabilitation Centre, pursuant to intense and focused research carried out on the living conditions of people residing in the interiors of Kolhapur. The research was facilitated mainly by the large presence of volunteers of the organisation in the city of Kolhapur. The research threw up startling facts on the living conditions of people residing in the villages, which were a mere 35 kilometers from the outskirts of Kolhapur.

Alpha to Omega - the Monthly Newsletter

Volume 4 | Issue 2 | Month - February 2019 | Page 2

Alpha to Omega - the Monthly Newsletter

The fact-finding was followed by scientific implementation. Accordingly, the villagers were provided with health and hygiene material and proper footwear which led to the eradication of anemia and scabies within about eight years of the camp. Another path-breaking achievement of the camp has been the systematic termination of the age-old ‘Devadasi’ system practised by the villagers. Within a matter of two years, the anti-lice lotion and the combs that were provided had done the trick, and there wasn’t a single case of the girl child pushed into the dreaded Devadasi system. Thus, an age-old evil had been eradicated without the people having realised it.

KMHC 2019 was the 16th year of conducting the camp, and once again the results are truly heartening.

This year, the camp had been scheduled over three days- 26th, 27th and 28th January 2019.

Some interesting insights about the 2019 camp are-

● The camp was spread across an area of 10 acres.

● 380 villages were the beneficiaries of the healthcare checkup and 93 villages were provided old clothes, utensils and healthcare material.

● 8956 families obtained the above benefits.

● 8914 students from 128 schools were also the beneficiaries, who were provided with school material, uniforms and nutritional food.

● The number of total beneficiaries of regular health checkup including students and villagers was 15051.

● This camp had 145 doctors,103 paramedics and 76 optometrists participating this time.

● The camp also provided other amenities such as woolen clothes, hair combs and lice combs, packets of glucose, dry-fruits and soaps and toys for children.

Alpha to Omega - the Monthly Newsletter

Volume 4 | Issue 2 | Month - February 2019 | Page 3

Alpha to Omega - the Monthly Newsletter

Aniruddha's Academy of Disaster Management (AADM) activities during the month of April 2018

Alpha to Omega - the Monthly Newsletter

Volume 4 | Issue 2 | Month - February 2019 | Page 4

Alpha to Omega - the Monthly Newsletter

Actual Fire Rescue Experience

I Siddhantsinh Jaywant from Chembur Upasana Centre. I am pursuing FYJC Science. We experience the divine grace, unmerited love and leelas of Sadguru time and again; and Bapu recently made me experience one such example of his grace, of course, a part of Naathsamvidh or the divine plan.

Of late, I have not been able to visit the Upasana Centre regularly since I have to attend tuition class every day, 7 o' clock in the evening. But, since 17th November was the last day to book Bappa's Padukas for Sacchidananda Utsav, I planned to skip my class and attend the Optometry course at Dadar as a patient and follow it with a visit to the Chembur Upasana Centre.

I left my house at around 6 o'clock, and while my train reached Govandi, I received a phone call to inform that I need not come to the Optometry course since there was enough number of patients available at the time. On completing the phone call, I called up my friend, Pratik Sawant who serves in the AADM Parade Rescue team. By then, the train reached Chembur station. I got down and started walking towards the railway bridge on my way to the Upasana centre. While I was still on the call with Pratik, I noticed that something had caught fire on the railway tracks at a distance of about 500-700 metres away from me. I immediately informed Pratik, he was in sheer disbelief.

I eventually video-called him and walked towards the location that had caught fire. As I reached the place, I saw two RPF guards and railway porters already present there. They had brought a fire extinguisher but had not used it. By Bapu's grace, I was already trained in the use of fire extinguishers by the Aniruddha’s Academy of Disaster Management's (AADM) during the Fire Fighter Training. While on the call, before using the extinguisher, Pratik asked me to confirm with the guards whether they had called the Fire Brigade. I thought to myself that they must have already done so, but after speaking to them, I learnt that since they did not have the contact number of the Fire Brigade they had not made the call.

After knowing this, Pratik insisted that I call on the Fire Brigade without wasting even a moment. Fortunately, I had the Chembur AADM’s rescue plan with me and also had fire brigade's number saved in my phone. I called and informed them about the situation. They responded quickly and asked for my phone number and the details of the location. The fire brigade assured us that their team would reach the place in the next 15-20 minutes and asked us not to leave until they arrive. After finishing the phone call, I broke open one of the two fire extinguishers. Both the extinguishers were of Type ACB, which meant that they were filled with monoammonium phosphate, a yellow powder. But the intensity of the fire was so high that it could not have been extinguished merely with these fire extinguishers. Thus, I did not break open the other cylinder. By the time, the RPF jawans along with the railway porters and a few locals arranged for some buckets full of water, which helped in reducing the fire. However, it continued burning due to the wind thrust of the passing trains. The fire brigade arrived at the location within 18 minutes and called out my name. They permitted me to leave and assured that they would take care of the situation from then onwards. Then, I quickly called the AADM Office and informed about the episode to Shri Ashutoshsinh Tembe, and continued on my way to the Upasana Centre.

Alpha to Omega - the Monthly Newsletter

Volume 4 | Issue 2 | Month - February 2019 | Page 5

Alpha to Omega - the Monthly Newsletter

Pratiksinh had by then circulated a message about this in our rescue team’s group, which made Kishorsinh Salunkhe, the Sampark Sevak of Chembur Upasana Centre learn about all this. I reached the Centre at 8 o’clock in the evening and briefed Kishorsinh about the incident.

From this experience, I learnt how Bapu sends us at the right place at the right time, and how he makes each one of us his Hatyar (tool/weapon).