Avvai Home in Chennai
This article provides details about Avvai Home in Chennai which provides support and home for orphans and people who are in need. This article will also provide details about the history of Avvai Home in Chennai.
Avvai Home in Chennai
As population increases the amount of number of orphans and abandoned people also increase. From babies to senior citizens many are made to be abandoned by their own parents, children, relations and neighbor. These peoples are considered as the aliens in the society. These homeless people desperately strive for the love and care and not for money and wealth. Though this society doesn't provide them food and love, it not even recognize them as human being. Even a pet animal such as dog and cat gets its meals regularly with love and care of their master. But a precious human being is thrown to the street without basic necessary things such as food, clothes and shelter. Babies are thrown in dustbins; children are abandoned and are made to beg in streets, handicap and mentally retarded children and teenagers are abandoned and left in the street to beg and senior citizens are left out and beaten by their own and well to do children. Where do these babies, children, senior citizens go???? A well known organization formed for these abandoned people who desperately beg for love and care is "Avvai Homes". It is the home for many orphans and homeless. Details about Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy founder of Avvai Homes
The founder of the well known organization "Avvai Homes " is Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy. Muthulakshmi Reddy is a well known and respected social reformer and medical practitioner. She is the first women doctor in India. Besides many constrains, as a girl she completed her higher studies. She joined madras medical college in 1907 and completed it in 1912 with many gold medal and credits. She also holds many records. She is the first woman to be a member of the legislature in India. Then she was elected as the Deputy Chairperson of the legislative council. Finally she became the first woman in the world to become the Vice-President of a Legislature. She was the founder of Women's Indian Association (WIA) and was one of the important governing bodies of the madras corporation. Later in 1930, she founded Avvai Home, a home for abandoned women and orphans at Besant Avenue near Adyar. She was the backbone in starting the world famous cancer institute in Adyar in 1952.Presently the hospital offers treatment to nearly 80,000 cancer patients every year from all over the world. To recognize her effort and to support her she was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1956.History of Avvai Home
Avvai home was started in the mid 1930 by Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy in vepery. It was started when three teenage girls from Namakkal to seek the help and shelter of Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy. These girls were from devadasi community. Finally Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy established the "Devadasi Abolition Act" which liberated the women of the devadasi community from ancient harmful shackles. These three girls were given new life and a light of education was shown upon them by Dr.Reddy. One of the three girls became a Teacher, another one became a Doctor and the third became a Staff Nurse. Due to floods the avvai home was shifted to a rented house near Mylapore. Later many abandoned children who do small crimes were admitted into the home after confirming by the police. After seeing many innocent and left out babies and children in the streets she decided to even admit these left out children to her avvai home. Thus the "Avvai Home" became the "Avvai Home and Orphanage". Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy readily accepted hundreds of children and women who had lost their families on the "Black Road" in 1940. Finally the "Avvai Home and Orphanage" became home for universal refugees for all helpless children and women. Education provided by Avvai Home
Besides providing shelter and care, avvai home shows a light of education over the abandoned children. A child should be enlightened by the fruit of education. Hence avvai home provides the facility of education to the abandoned children in their homes. A school for "Basic Education" was started in avvai home in 1950 by the honorable secretary Mrs. Mandakini Krishnamurthi. Over the years it has gradually changed into pre-primary and primary school. The school is located in the avvai home campus of 22 grounds. These 22 grounds at present are leasded from Thiruvannamalai Devasthanam. The government of Tamilnadu aids this school. The pre primary school contains 68 children - 45 girls and 23 boys all are of age 4. The primary school has five standards containing 20 sections. There are totally 776 children - 539 girls and 237 boys. All the boys are below 10 years old. There are totally 21 teachers. Each teacher should handle 60 students. The medium of language is Tamil. For standard I and II Tamil, numerical, physical health and hygiene and good habits are taught.
For higher classes till STD V English, Arithmetic, anatomy and physiology and organized sports are also taught. After STD V higher secondary studies are provided at Dr. T.V. Ramamurthi Higher Secondary School .This school was started in the year 1963 -64 by Smt. Nallamuthu Ramamurthi, wife of Sri T.V. Ramamurthi, in memory of her late husband. Smt. Nallamuthu Ramamurthi was the first Indian principal of the Queen Mary's college for women. T.V.R school is only for girls. During 2003 its total student's strength was 1419, over 35 sections. The school is the state board school with Tamil as the medium language. It is aided by the government of Tamilnadu. Various subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, Commerce, Accountancy, Business Mathematics, Computer Science, History, Geography etc.
In 1952 Dr. S. Muthulakshmi Reddy and Mrs. Mandakini Krishnamurthi started The Teacher's Training Institute. Nearly 2,500 girls were trained as primary and middle school teachers. This training institute has enlightened many women from socially backward society. Many women work as profession teachers all over the world. Thus this institution has given life to the under privileged and helpless women. The Teacher's Training Institute is recognized by the Government of Tamil Nadu and accredited by the National Council of Teacher's Education Research and Training (NCTERT). This course is for 2 years and the minimum qualification for joining this course is high performance pass in the XII standard public examination. Since the Avvai School is for poor and abandoned children the school fees is nominal for the students from the poor family and for primary school no fees is collected. The vast education campus provides home and education for all children who cannot contribute for education. Today nearly 2200 students study in various standards in the school. There are many donors, who donate for the education of the children. All donations to the Avvai Home are eligible for exemption under Section 80G of the Indian Income Tax Act. These donations are directly used for the food and education of the children.
