Swami Vivekananda said “Education is the manifestation of perfection already within.” It was based on the ancient Hindu teaching encapsulated in another of his sayings “Each soul is potentially divine” that there is divine and infinite potential within every person. ‘Swa’-Roopawardhinee, an organization in Pune, India, has made this ancient teaching an integral part of their work, both in spirit as well as literally too. The name of the organization ‘Swa’-Roopawardhinee in Sanskrit means to nurture or manifest one’s true self (Swa-roopa). ‘Swa’-Roopawardhinee or ‘wardhinee’ in short tries to bring out the best among poor children, especially prodigies within them. The organization provides free education to them, starting from a very young age. The organization was started in 1979 by the late Shri K. L. Patwardhan and a group of social workers in Pune, Maharashtra. Wardhinee focuses on enriching the knowledge of underprivileged children and training them to become positive contributors in society. Apart from formal education organization’s volunteers also teach their students life skills, cultural skills, and more.
We had an opportunity to interview Shirish Patwardhan, one of the full time volunteers of Swa-Roopwardhinee, who is currently the Vice-President of the organization.
Mr. Patwardhan worked for the social service organization Vivekananda Kendra for many years. He wanted to start similar work in the city of Pune. Vivekananda Kendra was focusing only on the North-Eastern tribal regions of India. Once he came into contact with Mr. K. L. Patwardhan, of ‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee in Pune. He was greatly inspired and was happy that such a platform existed in Pune for him to render his service. He joined the organization as a volunteer. Three years later he became a full-time worker at ‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee, dedicating himself fully to service through this organization. He worked on any job that was given to him, from accounting to marketing. He also helped write annual reports. He told us that diverse skills came that he learnt over these years have come in very handy for him in running the organization
The organization run by a few RSS volunteers has now grown many folds since its start. Regardless of the difficulty, Shirish and his teammates were always motivated. The volunteers had passion, and would not back down from their goal. This dedication led to the organization constructing its own building, granting them the ability to run more projects, activities, and better the existing activities. Over time, the organization was able to have a team of volunteers for each project, rather than Mr. Patwardhan leading all the projects himself.
Projects: Then and Now
‘Swa’ Roopwardhinee interviews and chooses students form their program. During a survey in a slum in front of the organization’s office, volunteers found out that around half of the children weren’t going to school. ‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee decided to start a Montessori school for ages 3-5. On August 1, 1988, the school opened, and the teacher appointed was tasked to find students from the slums. After three months, the school had around 20 students. Once people saw that it was benefitting the children, more and more parents enrolled their kids into the program. As of now, over 8,000 children have gone through this Montessori school.
Volunteers also found that many mothers of the students didn’t have proper working skills. They started courses for tailoring and over time, the women who attended the class were able to earn more and supplement their income. These classes truly empowered the women to take charge and gain confidence. Not only was there a change in the women, but also in their families, where they now had greater say on decisions.
Another inspiring project that the organization started is the mobile laboratory project. In 1996, this project was started by a science teacher. Wardhinee volunteers noticed that many village schools did not have laboratories for volunteers to present experiments. After conducting exhibits in the temple instead, they realized that many students had talent, but didn’t have resources. Wardhinee’s mobile laboratory connected these students with the latest technology and taught them how to use it. To this date, over 100,000 students have benefited.
‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee also has a competitive exam coaching center where volunteers help students excel in civil services exams. Through this, ‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee has provided motivated government officers. So far, 350 students have joined the state government as officers after receiving coaching from these centers.
Over the years, a counseling program for families, a mother and child care center, literacy classes, and many other projects were started. ‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee went from a small team of volunteers to a large organization through their passion, motivation, and determination.
Relief work during COVID-19
‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee does many projects that aid society as well. Even during the pandemic, volunteers performed community work that the government was not expecting from organizations. They went door to door trying to identify high-risk areas and conducted various medical exams. When a COVID-19 patient was identified, the volunteers took them to the hospital to give them medical attention they needed.
The organization also heard about a shortage in blood banks, so they arranged blood donation camps. In total, they collected more than 300 bags! They started plasma donations to give patients a better chance at fighting. Additionally, they collected funds to give to families whose income was reduced. They also distributed 3000 grocery kits to needy families!
‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee volunteers also did another inspiring work during the pandemic. On account of the devastating COVID-19 deaths, cremation grounds did not have enough resources to properly conduct cremation ceremonies. A group of 12 female volunteers performed the cremation ceremonies and rituals for families that could not do them.
This is what Wardhinee’s volunteers and students shine in Mr. Patwardhan told us: “doing anything and everything to help society.” Even during these tough times, ‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee has been doing many projects and programs to help the community.
The transformation
Mr. Patwardhan shared a motivating story about a wonderful girl. The girl joined ‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee in 11th grade, which is later than usual. Her parents worked at a construction site and she lived there her entire childhood. Unfortunately, she went through many rough situations that had affected her personality. Despite this, she became more calm and mature once she started working with ‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee. After finishing her master’s degree, she became a professor. Now, she is an amazing teacher and carries on the great things that she learned as a part of ‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee’s program. She has many admirable qualities that everyone around her notices and admires. This story shows the impact of service that ‘Swa’-Roopwardhinee is providing and the transformation it can bring.
Our team had a great time interacting with Mr. Patwardhan and know about Swa-Roopwardhinee. He was kind, helpful, and inspiring. “Problems don’t matter,” he told us. “All that matters is how much you can learn from them!”
To know more about Swa-Roopwardhinee you can visit their website swaroopwardhinee.org.
(This article is based on the research and interview conducted by two Indian-American high-schoolers as part of the Dharma Internship Program 2020. The authors acknowledge the valuable suggestions and help from their mentors and program coordinator)
Pranav Bhalerao
Pranav is an 8th grader from New Jersey. He likes to read, ride his bicycle, learn about science, and have fun at school!
Kruthi Gundu
Kruthi is a 9th grader from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. She loves science, reading, and learning new things.
