With the divine blessings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the Sri Sathya Sai Premaarpitham Foundation embarked on its first village service initiatives in the remote village of Hoolya-Hosadoddi on December 24th. The rural outreach programme saw enthusiastic engagement from the local villagers. The Foundation implemented its flagship service initiatives – Sri Sathya Sai Prema Dayini (nourishing breakfast), Sri Sathya Sai Kshema Dayini (health check-ups) and orientation about upcoming Sri Sathya Sai Shubha Dayini (livelihood skills workshops for women).
Hoolya-Hosadoddi village of the Shollinga community
The Hoolya-Hosadoddi village is situated in the Cheelanvadi forest in Kanakapura Taluk. The government had relocated this tribe from deep within the Cheelanvadi forest and settled them in Hoolya-Hosadoddi. But most villagers migrate every six months to work as coffee farmers in Chikmagalur. Consequently, the children’s education suffers as they migrate with their parents. The village has only 50% literacy and limited education infrastructure, with just a residential Valmiki Ashram school up to 5th grade.
Hoolya-Hosadoddi lacks medical facilities and has just one bus plying twice daily. Children frequently face malnutrition, while jobs remain scarce in the village, causing consistent poverty. The nearest hospital sits 25 kilometers away, making healthcare inaccessible.
Starting the day with a hearty breakfast for all
The grama seva commenced with volunteers lovingly serving hot and nutritious tomato baath prasadam for breakfast to the children through the Prema Dayini initiative. Before distributing the prasadam, the volunteers taught the children the sacred Brahmaarpanam mantra. The delighted children welcomed the volunteers to their school with great excitement. Brother Keshava Murthy, Administrative Officer of Sri Sathya Sai Vaatsalyam, fondly recalled how the children joyfully ran to the volunteers as they entered the village and stayed glued to them throughout. He added that all the volunteers felt extremely blessed to receive the pure love showered by the innocent children. After breakfast, the volunteers sang bhajans as the villages joined in the singing with equal enthusiasm and devotion.
Medical camp for the villagers of Hoolya-Hosadoddi through Kshema Dayini
To address the villagers’ healthcare needs, a medical camp was then set up at the Valmiki Ashram camp as part of the Sri Sathya Sai Kshema Dayini initiative. About 50 villagers from various age groups attended the medical camp. Our doctor-technician team thoroughly examined each patient, provided free medicines for various ailments, conducted blood tests, and scheduled further consultations with specialists in ophthalmology, gynecology, and others. Over the next few weeks, the Foundation will continue organizing more such medical camps in Hoolya-Hosadoddi to meet the healthcare needs of every villager.
Orienting women villagers for skill training through Shubha Dayini
The women volunteers engaged with many village women and discussed the skill training programme under the Foundation’s Sri Sathya Sai Shubha Dayini initiative. They explained that the training would equip the women with valuable handicraft skills, product knowledge and provide extra income. Several enthusiastic women villagers enrolled for the skill development workshops scheduled every Thursday at Sri Sathya Sai Vaatsalyam.
Giri KK, a volunteer at the Sri Sathya Sai Premaarpitham Foundation, shared his thoughts on the Hoolya-Hosadoddi Grama Seva. He said, “Our early initiatives have instilled hope and belief among Hoolya-Hosadoddi residents for an improved way of life. We pray to Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba to bless us all with the capacity to tirelessly continue our labor of love and transform the aspirations of the villagers into tangible achievements.”
The day’s village seva concluded with Aarti.