Introduction and motivation

Many villages in India, particularly in remote localities, lack essential facilities, and when there is no proper transport, life in the village becomes difficult indeed. Assam, located in the far eastern part of India, is a big state, and the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation of Assam (SSSO-Assam) has been extending help to one of the villages, Nadikinar Nigam of Dibrugarh district, near the river Burhi Dihing.

Volunteers were curious about the villagers who lived on the other side of the river from their district centre. One Sai worker pointed out that the people of the village on the other side of the river were in a difficult position. Even though located only about 16 kms from Dibrugarh district headquarters, no good road access exists to this village, and this is the main obstacle to its development. The only mode of transportation to and from the village is by the small boats that make their way across the river Bhurhi Dihing, which flows along this neglected land. Thus the concept of serving this village was conceived.

Village condition

1. Population: males 109, females 98

2. Primary School: 1 (one)

3. Electricity: no electricity service

4. Drinking water supply: does not exist

5. Housing: constructed of tin, hay, and bamboo

6. Means of livelihood: farming

Project Details

A sincere effort was made to touch three major needs of the villagers:

1. Food care

2. Medicare

3. Agricare

Food care

In November 2007, in connection with Sathya Sai Baba's birthday, volunteers began a programme called “Amrit Kalasam” (supply of cooking food items), to bring food to the village and distribute it. Volunteers assembled in the district Sathya Sai centre and made gift packages containing various food items. Early the next day, workers with packets arrived at the river side by cars and motorbikes. They proceeded to the village by boat, and batch by batch distributed the packets. With this, a healthy relationship with the village began to develop, and the food distribution continued in 2008 also.

There was good response and satisfaction from the villagers with the supply of food items. Seeing their joyous faces, the volunteers decided to support the village agricultural efforts by distributing high-quality seeds for cultivation amongst the poor farmers of the village. They also gave a blanket to each of them. On festival occasions, gift packs containing a health drink and other items were distributed among the villagers. 

During a devastating flood in August 2011, volunteers from the local Sathya Sai centre and State Trust stepped forward and went to the village and distributed food items.

Medical care

The villagers were often falling sick with communicable illnesses such as malaria, encephalitis, and other mosquito-bourne diseases, so mosquito nets were given to each family. The villagers accepted this as Sathya Sai Baba’s gift and expressed their happiness.

Dibrugarh Sathya Sai Centre decided to further extend their service to treatment of the patients of the village and thus began identifying eye patients for proper treatment. The identified patients were admitted to the Government Hospital, and surgery was performed by experienced eye surgeons. All costs associated with the patients’ travel, surgery, and medicines were borne by the Sathya Sai volunteers. However, there was no surgeon’s fee as per government rule. The operations were carried out successfully, and the results were the smiling faces and happy vision of the villagers. One villager received an operation from an orthopaedic surgeon, and another villager was provided with medication.

To follow up on the well-being and post-surgical recovery of the eye patients, volunteers traveled to the village and met with the patients. In one of the houses, it was noticed that a 50-year-old woman was bedridden and very sick. Together with her poor economic condition, she was in a very miserable state. With her family members, the suffering woman was taken to the Government Hospital and diagnosed by doctors. She was given appropriate treatment and showed immediate signs of recovery and was soon discharged from the hospital.

Seeing the loving nature of the volunteers, many other sick and ailing villagers also approached them for help. Each stated their own problems and requested that treatment be arranged. In spite of limited resources, volunteers came forward and extended the services for the treatments.

Agriculture care

Besides distributing high-quality seeds, an agricultural spraying machine was purchased and given to the farmers of the village. Large-size utensils were also distributed for community projects, and the villagers were very happy to receive these gifts as demonstrations of the love of Sathya Sai Baba.

Impact of the service

“Most of us from urban areas who get the opportunity to visit a rural area through this kind of Sai service and meet the village people see their simplicity, even in their very difficult position. Repeated visits create a loving bond between us. The village people treat the volunteers like someone very close to them. This made us realise the power and impact of exchanging love.” —Sai volunteer

Additional Info

Project leaders: Sri Rajib Borgohain & Mahendra Hazarika

Project Coordinator: Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation-Assam

Contact Person: Sri Satyen Sarma, State President, Sri Sathya Sai Seva

Organisation-Assam, Meghalaya & Arunachal Pradesh, mail ID sp.as@ssssoindia.org   

General Enquiries: admin@ssssoindia.org  / dvvrao@yahoo.com

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