We are happy to share the highlights of the 125th week of Saturday Sangamam at VAMA. This week, we celebrated International Meditation Day. Our Art of Living teacher, Mrs. Lakshmi, conducted a meditation session and explained the importance of meditation in bringing peace of mind and relaxation to the body. She also provided practical guidance to the participants. The session was attended by 40 students from Athrikal School and 68 elders from various places, including VK Puram, Thirumalai Puram, Kalyani Puram, and Alwarkurichy, bringing the total number of participants to over 100.

Due to heavy rains, we did not invite the elders to this week’s Sangamam gathering. Instead 124th week of sangamam we extended our support to those affected by floods in the nearby village of Chettikulam. This area has been severely impacted by the Kadana River flooding, with more than 50 people losing all their essential belongings. They are currently sheltered in the Samuthaya Nala Koodam at Chettikulam. Upon request from the RI and VAO, VAMA stepped in to support these flood-affected people. As part of our relief efforts, our kitchen team prepared and served meals. We provided sambar sadam and papadam for lunch and idli with sambar and chutney for dinner over the last two days.

Following the successful gathering of last week's Sangamam, we are happy to share the highlights of the 123rd week of this initiative. This week, we had an engaging session with local beneficiaries, supported by a team from Heartfulness, who conducted yoga practice specifically for the elders.

We are pleased to share that we successfully celebrated the 7th Anniversary of VAMA Charitable Trust and have now entered our 8th year on 30th November . This special event was combined with our regular ‘Elders Sangamam’ program,this week 122 week of sangamam where over 150 elders participates from various places mannarkoil ,vk puram ,thirumalai puram ,pappa kudi ,sitha malli ,Alwarkurichy ,tirunelveli ,kalyani puram ,puthukudiyiruppu and enjoyed the various activities organized by the VAMA team.

Greetings from VAMA Charitable Trust! Today, we conducted the 121st week of Sangamam at Sailam. Since it is the rainy season, we invited elders only from VK Puram, Thirumalaipuram, Alwarkurichy, and Kalyanipuram. More than 60 elders participated and enjoyed the program in the cool, rainy weather. The program began with a prayer song sung by the elders. After the prayer, a short exercise session was conducted by Ms. Karthika, a team member. She explained the importance of exercise for elders and demonstrated simple routines to maintain good health. This was followed by fun activities such as the ball and cup game and a strength-based activity. The elders enthusiastically participated and enjoyed the games. At 11:00 AM, we served tea and biscuits. After the tea break, Mrs. Vadivoo had a discussion with the elders. The key points of discussion included: • Their experiences with VAMA over the past 120 weeks. • How they feel about the friendships and connections they have made. • Any memorable incidents or inconveniences they have faced. We received valuable feedback and insights during this session. Later, Mr. S. Lakshmanan from Ambasamudram and Mr. I. Lakshmanan told stories from the Ramayana and Pattinathar. They spoke about the challenges of life, managing survival needs, and the importance of recognizing the permanent source of peace and happiness in life. At 1:00 PM, a delicious lunch was served, which included rice, sambar, pumpkin kootu, pachadi, and buttermilk. The elders enjoyed the meal thoroughly. After lunch, we organized a Pattukku Pattu (song-based game) session. The elders were divided into two teams, and each group competed enthusiastically, singing songs with great energy and spirit. The gathering concluded with sukku coffee . The elders expressed their heartfelt gratitude to VAMA Charitable Trust for organizing such thoughtful and enjoyable activities, fulfilling their needs during their old age.

Post celebrating Sangamam on Saturdays for the last two years (115 weeks continuously) Vama team started making the sangamam relevant for other event instead of Saturday. Elders gathered on Deepawali 🪔 and Kanthasashti days and yesterday on Full Moon Day. It was an amazing evening experience for rural elders to celebrate and enjoy Pournami day. Event started at 4.00 pm and continued till 7.15 pm. Several games and activities conducted by Ms Kausalya and Vama team members from both Mannarkoil and Sivasailam. It was raining continuously hence worried about the situation to conduct the event. Fortunately Varuna Bhagwan put a hot from 4 pm to 7 pm and proved his blessings for the service being rendered by Vama Team.

It is our great pleasure to share that the 119th week of our Sangamam event was combined yesterday with the inauguration ceremony of our new building at Sivasailam. More than 80 elders participated from V K Puram, Ambai, Kallidai, Chettikulam, Alwarkurichi, Mannarkoil and other villages.

vIn our 118th week of Saturday Sangamam, we celebrated Deepawali with our elders and continued our distribution activities across various locations to support elder communities in need. Our team traveled to Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, and Seranmahadevi. At Seranmahadevi, we visited the CAST Foundation (Community Action for Social Transformation) on Singikulam Road, Nanguneri (TK), Padmaneri. CAST is an integrated NGO supported by the Tamil Nadu State Welfare and Women Empowerment Department and is managed by Mrs. Susila Pandian. The foundation cares for 25 abandoned elders and 14 children. We have been supporting CAST since November 2020, particularly from the COVID period onward.

Today, we began the Diwali celebrations with our beloved elders and frontline warriors. For the past four years, VAMA has supported elders during the Diwali season by providing new clothes and sweets. This year, in continuation of our tradition, we started the distribution today at Sailam, marking the 117th week of our Saturday Sangamam gatherings. The sweets and savories, including athirasam, murukku, laddu, and thukkada, were all specially prepared by our elder beneficiaries. More than 1elders from Alwai, VK Puram, Thirumalai Puram, and Kalyani Puram participated in this event. The team organized the dress distribution beautifully, with each elder actively involved and sharing their past Diwali memories with VAMA. Mr. Lakshman, one of our members, shared his experiences and expressed his appreciation for VAMA's ongoing service to society.

We are happy to share the details of the 116th week of the Saturday Sangamam, held on October 19th at our Sailam. More than 110 elders participated from our regular villages, and this week, we welcomed new beneficiaries from various locations. Ms. Suba and Ms. Gowsi conducted the event with a refreshing new concept. The Sangamam began with a prayer song, expressing spiritual devotion. The prayer was sung by Mrs. Pushpam in her sweetest voice. Following this, Mrs. Lakshmi led the meditation session, which was followed by the elders. Upon completing the meditation, many felt a noticeable impact and mentioned feeling relieved from stress.