कोच्चि होस्टल (केरल) भाषा से परे एक अनुभव
This February 2017 we were thrilled to tour Kerala, the land of tea gardens, natural beauty and beaches, the birth place of Aadi Shankaracharya and the land discovered by Rishi Parshuram ji.
We had the opportunity to visit a boys SAC hostel in Ernakulum, Kochi Kerala. See the photo below with the long name of the hostel. This hostel was established in 2005, home to 30 boys age from 5 years to 18 years. While most children go to school, some older children also attend ITI (professional training institutes ). Shri Narayan Master ji gave his all to establish and run the hostel. After his death, his wife Shanta ji gave all her time to the hostel. Their actions have been very inspiring. For the first time, we saw a teacher coming in the evening to help students in home work. This hostel has morning Shakha, regular prayers, and an established Mandir. While the hostel is under renovation, we did not find the facility very clean. But all children were very happy, playful and friendly, and not at all shy. They were playing in the evening and were excited to meet us. They attend a near by school. Most of the children come from a very poor back ground, but those who have a family can visit home 3 times a year for 2-3 days.
Estimated expense on each child comes out Rs 15000/ annual. Kitchen expenses are 7000 rupees a day. We had some language problem, with little English and Hindi it worked out.
