Real strength should come from within. If we rely only on the external, there is no stability. Through yoga, meditation, and spiritual practice we can achieve this goal.
God’s power is not something outside. It is within us. We need to awaken that power.
– Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi
For many millennia, self-reliant villages were at the centre of Indian life. Villagers were in tune with Nature, which led to a complete harmony of being. However, as India modernized, the villages became marginalized societies existing on the periphery, and often at the effect, of India’s ever encroaching cities. Amrita SeRVe uplifts villages by facilitating activities to financially empower, socially reconnect, and internally harmonize the outer with the inner.
Amrita SeRVe empowers villagers, especially women, to open bank accounts, avail themselves of social-security schemes, and form Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to gain financially independence. Moreover, respected members from each community are encouraged to form a Village Development Committee (VDC), thereby creating a platform to identify, discuss and implement solutions to problems faced in their respective villages. It is primarily through such Village Development Committees that government support can be secured to benefit the entire village community.
Addressing the more subtle aspects of Self-Empowerment, Amrita SeRVe facilitates regular yoga and meditation sessions and encourages the preservation of local traditions and rituals, including religious festivals, Poojas, and devotional singing. By celebrating together as a community and appreciating the joyful moments of life, worries are put aside and peace of mind is attained. For the youth, regular sports and games sessions, along with moral stories taken from a range of material, including India’s most popular epic, the Ramayana, encourage a holistic development.
