The Sadhu Vaswani Ashram

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The Sadhu Vaswani Mission is a spiritual, social welfare and non-profit institution which endeavours to reach its caring services to the poor and needy, sick and aged, irrespective of caste, creed or colour.

The Mission was started in 1931 in Hyderabad, in Sindh (now part of Pakistan) by Sadhu T. L. Vaswani, whose universal outlook and philosophy of life revolved around the supreme ideal of reverence for all life, service to suffering humanity and cultivation of the soul.

Following the partition of India, the Headquarters of the Mission was shifted to Pune in 1950.

'Mira Movement in Education'
Established in 1933 by Sadhu Vaswani, the 'Mira Movement in Education', headquartered now in Pune at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, moved to other premier cities in India such as Delhi, Baroda, Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Mumbai. The aim of this movement is to impart education to all, combining the best of the East with the best of the West.

Within Pune itself there are no less than six flourishing institutions all dedicated to the purpose of inculcating spiritual, social and moral values with a special emphasis on the Indian ideals of piety, service of the poor and a reverence for all forms of life.

The Founder
Sadhu Vaswani, the man responsible for the initiation of the 'Mira Movement in Education' was born on November 25, 1879 in Hyderabad, in Sindh. After post graduation, he started working as a professor in the Metropolitan College in Calcutta (now called Vidyasagar College). A true patriot, he joined in the struggle for India's freedom alongside Mahatma Gandhi and contributed extensively to the literature of that period. Education, however, was his primary interest in life and he soon turned his attention to that.

He inaugurated the 'Shakti Ashram' at Rajpur where young men from various parts of the country were trained to take on the mantle to free India. Sadhu Vaswani firmly endorsed the view that the future belonged to the youth and they needed to be taught and disciplined to undertake the tasks ahead of them.

His teachings were very simple and focused on the joy to be derived from the service of the poor and needy. Religion to him was fellowship and devotion to the Almighty through helping others. Sadhu Vaswani said, "The creation of God is bound by golden chains to the Feet of the One God, the One Divine Father of us all. At His Lotus-Feet we all are one - men of different religions and no religion."

"Religion," he said, "is life, is fellowship, is mingling of the individual with the Great Life. And this is not shut up in the temples. This is moving in the market place. The Great God is not somewhere in isolation. The Great God is in the procession of life. Greet Him there! You will not find Him in the temples of marble and stone. You will meet Him in the sweat and struggle of life, in the tears and tragedies of the poor. Not in decorated temples, but in broken cottages is the Great God, - wiping the tears of the poor and singing His new Gita for the New Age!"

Education
Promotion of the Sindhi language
Village Upliftment
Medical Relief
Meatless Day Campaign

Institutions
The educational institutions located at Pune are:
Shanti Vidya Mandir (Kindergarten, English Medium)
St. Mira's Bal Bhavan
St. Mira's Primary School (Sindhi Medium)
St. Mira's English Medium School (Primary and Secondary)
St. Mira's High School (Sindhi Medium)
St. Mira's College for Girls

St. Mira's College for Girls was started in 1962 as Sadhu Vaswani believed that women had a very important role to play in the shaping of India. Although academic excellence is not despised, the main aim of the college is to instil character building, heroic living and spiritual unfolding. Methods of imparting knowledge are unique to the schools and follow a set pattern. Apart from the normal curriculum the following are a part of the daily life of the schools.

Sanctuary
This is the first period of the day and is set aside for prayers and contemplation. Festivals and other sacred days are also celebrated during this period.

Prayer Circle
Students pray collectively for their dear ones in this circle.

Meditation Circle
Pupils spend some time in meditation during this period.

Service Circle
Periodically, students from every class go to charitable institutions for service.
Needy students are provided with free education, medicines, stationery, uniforms, pocket money, daily lunch and milk.

In addition to these educational programs, the Sadhu Vaswani Mission conducts classes in the Sindhi language.

Charitable Works
The Sadhu Vaswani Mission carries on several charitable undertakings. Foremost among these is the upliftment of the poorest of the poor in the villages of Maharashtra, Saurashtra and Kutch. Providing sustenance and employment to villagers living below the poverty line, the Mission has been a godsend to the needy. Some of the activities of the Mission are as follows:
Provision of drinking water
Digging of irrigation wells
Tree plantation drives
Soil conservation
Education of children
Health camps
Training of families so that they become self-supporting
Vocational training classes
Providing free rations and succour in times of famine to both men and animals

Medical Services
In Pune, medical services are offered by the Mission at the following centres:
Shanti Clinic: a diagnostic centre located on the Mission campus
The Mangharam Khemlani Dispensary
The Sadhu Hiranand Free Homeopathic Dispensary
The Radha Krishna Daya Dispensary
The Inlaks and Budhrani Hospital: a 150 bed hospital in Koregaon Park
The Cancer Institute: a 175 bed hospital especially for cancer patients
The motto of all the Medical Centres of the Mission is:
"Every patient is a picture of God.
To serve him is to worship God."

Freeships and concessions including expensive medications and injections are liberally given to poor and needy patients.

Address
Sadhu Vaswani Mission
10 Sadhu Vaswani Path,
Pune 411001,
India
Tel: 91-212-625679
Fax: 91-212-627474

Events at the Mission

Pune is well connected by air, rail and road from all parts of the country. It is about 180 kms from Mumbai, so for foreigners the best bet is to reach Mumbai and from there catch a flight (35 minutes travel time) or take a train (4 hrs travel time) to Pune. There are also state government buses every 15 minutes, all day long, which ply to and fro between Mumbai and Pune. This Asiad bus service starts from Dadar in Mumbai. The journey takes between 4 - 5 hours.

Once in Pune the best mode of transport is the three-wheelers, the auto-rickshaws. These can be hired to travel in and around the city.

Where to stay

For further tourist information in Pune you can contact the MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) Tourist Office at the Central Buildings at 091-20-628169.

When to go

Being a semi-metropolitan city all items of daily life are conveniently available in Pune city. Of course, there are certain precautions that all tourists must take while travelling.
Make your travel arrangements through reputed and government-authorised agencies.
As a safety precaution all travellers are advised to drink only bottled or mineral water and avoid having tap water.
One must also avoid consuming food items, bought from road-side vendors, that are kept out in the open like pakoras, pav-bhaji, bhel, chat, vada-pavs or samosas.
As a rule while travelling it is always a good idea to carry a small first aid kit that must include an anti-itch cream, some bandages, an antiseptic cream, a pair of small scissors and some disinfectant.
Also, ensure that your clothing is commensurate with the climate of the place. For Pune climate a light jacket, preferably water-proof, is all you'll need during the monsoons.
In case you are travelling during the monsoons, ensure that your shoes are also water-resistant. Leather shoes easily get ruined in the mud, slush and tropical rain.