Siharam

In last month’s Arunachala Grace News, the monthly newsletter sent direct to subscribers email inbox, there was a very interesting narrative about the Salesians of Don Bosco's IT programme at their Institute in Tiruvannamalai, to promote personal, cultural, social and economic self assurance to rural youth. The name of the Institute is Siharam - Salesian Institute for the Holistic Advancement of the Rural and the Marginalized. The meaning of this Tamil word ‘Siharam’ is ‘Peak’ and the reason behind the acronym is; ‘to inspire even the most backward and marginalized youth to attain peak achievements and subsequently act as template for disadvantaged youth in rural communities.’

The Co-ordinator of the programme, Fr. Edwin Vasanthan, kindly gave our small group a tour of their facility. For this month’s Newsletter I asked Fr. Edwin Vasanthan to explain the difference the IT programme will make in the lives of the Dalit students. So, if you want to read more about the pain of living a marginalised life in rural India, please check out the upcoming Arunachala Grace News, April 2008.

I have huge admiration for those of the Dalit community who have not only broken out of the limitations of their caste bound life but are also making a ladder for others to climb up after them. For people who have had a good education and been brought up with all the fine advantages of life, it is sometimes difficult to remain positive, upbeat and summon up the confidence to ‘reach for your dream’. Can you imagine the immense weight of ‘negative thinking’ imposed upon Dalits over thousands of years through the caste bound system? To live a condemned life, be told one was only fit for dirty degrading work and be denied all opportunity to improve and uplift oneself through education? Bless their courage to be now moving upward.

Fr. Edwin Vasanthan SDB
Don Bosco SIHARAM,
P.B. 3, Kanchi Road,
Adaiyur Village, Vengikkal,
Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu 6060 604
India

E-mail: vasanthsdb at gmail dot com

Don Bosco Siharam

Last week some friends and I drove to the North side of Arunachala to visit Devanandayal Village. In the distance we could see a very handsome building and we wondered if it was some kind of school or college. Well, fate intervened and we were soon to find that this interesting campus is in fact the Don Bosco Siharam Institute (Salesian Institute for the Holistic Advancement of the Rural and the Marginalized)

The below photograph is of Father Edwin Vasanthan who very kindly showed us around the Don Bosco facility.

The Institute which was opened on the 24th May, 2007 now offers courses in Computer Application, Hardware Training and in Catering. Below some photographs of an IT class.

Most of the students are recruited from remote villages of outlying Districts and are housed at the Institute's boarding facilities located on their 7 acre campus.

Below the dining room and kitchen which has seriously sized pots to cater for the large number of students.




The Salesians of Don Bosco are a Catholic organisation and as well as the IT Institute at Tiruvannamalai also have primary and secondary schools (with boarding facilities) for orphaned and semi-orphaned students in Tamil Nadu and other South India States, a college and some technical schools.

To find out more about Don Bosco Siharam, please check out this month's Arunachala Grace News which will be sent out to inboxes tomorrow. If you wish to become a free subscriber to the monthly Arunachala Newsletter, please fill out the facility at the left hand column of this page.