Kalyan Ashram in a noble mission

by Devika Gurung

GANGTOK, Jan. 31, 2011:

“What nobler employment or more valuable to the state than that of the man who instructs the rising generation”- Marcus Tullius Cicero

The above phrase is apt for the members of the Kalyan Ashram. Established in the year 2000 at Marchak (near Ranipool) the Ashram is not much heard of. It is run by Akhil Bharatiya Banwaasi Samiti and the ashram has its branches in each and every state of the country.

Some may misunderstand the Ashram for an orphanage. Though they provide shelter to orphans also but basically children coming from poor background i.e. Below Poverty Line (BPL) are given shelter in it. The candidates are first verified (whether they really belong to BPL families and are hailing form Sikkim) and the annual incomes of their families are checked, then only they are owned up, informs Bikash Sharma, the ashram’s Office In-Charge. The three storied building is a home to forty such children (all boys) hailing from East, West and South districts of the state.


Kalyan AshramKalyan Ashram
The children are not only provided with hostel facility but even their daily needs and medical expenses are taken care of. All these forty children attend regular classes at Ranipool Senior Secondary School. From their small basic needs to their studies, everything is funded by the ashram itself. Along with extra curricular activities they are also taught how to carry out basic daily household chores such as cleaning, cooking, gardening etc. Though a cook has been appointed by the ashram but these children help him in preparing the daily meals. The senior boys milk the cow and the cleaning is done by the kids themselves.

When one enters the ashram’s premises he/ she can notice the spic and span environment, not a small piece of paper or the tiniest of dust particle on the floor. On the remaining piece of land vegetables are grown by the children and at times these vegetables are also taken by the Central Agricultural University, which is situated opposite to the ashram. But the whole of milk and its products are used in the ashram for the children as they need nutritional diet.

“We try to utilize as much of their time in every way possible. From 5 in the morning till their bedtime at 9 there’s not a single minute to waste”, says Mr. Sharma. Their day starts with a bhajan at 6 a.m. followed by Pranayam, yoga and other exercises. When they have off days from school the children are engaged in story writing, drawing, sports, newspaper reading and other curricular activities.

The children residing in the ashram are aged from 8–19. Some are in their junior school while some are appearing for their Xth boards. Kalian Ashram, Sikkim is not only helping the children inside the state but they also fund the education of 100 such students hailing from Sikkim who are studying outside the State. Two of the children from the ashram had also represented the state in the recent national level Kabaddi tournament.


Akhil Bharatiya Banwaasi SamitiChildren attending classes at the Kalyan Ashram
The Office in- Charge Mr. Sharma is a PhD student himself. For him working for Kalyan Ashram is not a profession but a vocation. Helping the needy and spending time with them is a great relief for him. The ashram totally runs under charity. Some people come from far off places once or twice in a month and distribute the children gifts and sweets, while some prepare special lunches for them. Charities come in by cash or kind but it would be great if every person could take few moments from their busy schedule and spend some time interacting with these children, says Mr. Sharma. He even urges the teenagers and the educated youth of the state to come forward and lend a hand for such noble causes.

In this fast pace world everybody is busy competing with each other. No person has the time to think for their fellow beings. The situation somewhat seems like survival of the fittest. But such institutions like Kalyan Ashram are doing a noble and a humane job by helping needy children. By doing so they are in a way securing the future of the state and the country. As one of the blackboards of the ashram reads “the present is a product of the past, but it is also the seed for the future.”

(Courtesy: Sikkim Mail & isikkim)