In our lives we tend to take several people as our role model. The Guru is one of them. When I met Tavayogi the first time in Malaysia, he showed me pictures of the activities carried out at his ashram. After he left for India, I followed him shortly. While at his ashram the native children living around the ashram used to hang out with Tavayogi and he would entertain them. Since he had showed me photos of the annadhanam or feeding done here, I suggested that we carry out a feeding session. Soon we both made our way to the local market at Methupalaiyam to purchase the groceries and greens. Nadarajah cooked the midday meal for all the villagers and their children.
After returning from the pilgrimage of Siddha caves and temples and picking up my brother from Trichy, we arrived back at Kallar. I suggested to my brother that we serve food again and purchase clothing for the children. Tavayogi called Mrs Sarojini (now known as Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar) over from her hometown. Soon we all made our way to Methupalaiyam to purchase the greens and the dresses. We picked up some stationary too.
Once back at the ashram Mrs Sarojini roped the village womenfolk together and prepared and cooked the food. It was fulfilling to see the joy on the faces of the kids in receiving the gifts and filling their stomach. That was my first act of performing annadhanam and giving gifts. Tavayogi told the children that the clothing were for the upcoming Deepavali festival, but the children were so excited to receive the new cloths that they unwrapped and began to wear them there and then. How can I share the joy of giving that I felt at that moment?
Tavayogi still carries out this noble act with funds from devotees. We too have taken on this noble activity with Agathiyar regularly posting reminders in our Nadi readings. Many are of the opinion that feeding the poor and those on the streets encourages laziness on the part of the receiver and instead suggest that they are taught to fish. Its only when you get down to the ground and start feeding the hungry that you realize how much the hungry appreciate the morsel of food that they receive. Practically everyone who receives it immediately plunges into the food, digging their hands into it, right in front of us. We have seen people running to us on knowing that we are distributing food and return disappointed when told the food parcels were all taken up.
New clothing were distributed to the native children at the Old Kallar ashram and the present ashram recently in conjunction with the Navarathri celebrations.
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| At the Old ashram |
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| At the present ashram |
Let me bring you to the past, walking through the ashrams activities.
At the present Kallar Ashram.
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| AVM family being served food during the last Guru Puja celebrations. |
At the Old Kallar Ashram.
When Tavayogi and Mataji were in Malaysia last year, they joined Bala Chandran's family in serving food at a home.
Charity at the old Kallar Ashram.
Let us not forget that when we contribute towards the running of an ashram, the money will be spent on serving food and providing lodging to future devotees who come along, just as the contribution from earlier devotees were used on us to feed and provide lodge.