We are happy to share the successful completion of the 171st week of Sangamam, held on 11th April at Sivasailam. We organized the gathering with the participation of more than 60 elders from various locations. All the elders attended with great interest, even though the Panguni Thiruvizha celebrations were taking place at Papanasam and V.K. Puram temples. As committed last week, we started the session with a small warm-up exercise, followed by the Mudra practice that the elders had learned in the previous week, with the support of our trustee Mr. Kumar. After that, we trained the elders in chair exercises, which are very useful for senior citizens. These included simple movements for the legs, hands, fingers, neck, and other body parts. All the elders participated energetically and enthusiastically. After completing the exercises, we distributed hot malt drinks to everyone. We then began an interactive sharing session where the elders spoke one by one. Through this interaction, they learned from one another about friendship, peer support, how they overcame life’s struggles, and how they managed financial difficulties after the loss of their life partners. Many elders expressed how much they learned from listening to each other’s experiences. We also enjoyed some inspiring story-sharing moments.

We are happy to share the successful completion of the 170th week of Sangamam, held on 4th April at our Sailam center. This week, although it was an election period, we gathered a small crowd of elders who were able to attend without transportation difficulties. Despite the limitations, the participants actively took part in the program. During the session, we conducted a Mudra session with the support of our trustee, Mr. Muthukumarasamy. All the elders enjoyed and actively participated in the session. We also introduced a new initiative called “Kai Pakkuvam”, where elders engaged in the preparation of traditional summer products such as vadagam and vathal. The elders enthusiastically worked together in peer groups, sharing their past experiences of preparing these items with their families, especially recalling the guidance of their mothers during earlier times. This interaction brought back fond memories and created a joyful environment.

We are happy to share about the 169th week of Sangamam, held on 28th March 2026 at our Sailam center. Due to the intense summer heat, we invited a limited number of elders who were comfortable traveling to our place. Despite this, more than 60 elders participated in the gathering. We were delighted to welcome our well-wisher Mr. Alagappan, who has been a strong supporter of VAMA Trust and contributed towards the purchase of the elders’ van. He attended the event along with his family and friends from Karaikudi. He spent quality time with the elders by singing songs and sharing his experiences with VAMA Trust, as well as his thoughts on the Saturday Sangamam program.

168th Week of Sangamam – Womens day celebration - VAMA Charitable Trust We are delighted to share the successful completion of the 168th Week of Sangamam, held on 21st March at Sailam. The program was organized as part of our Women’s Day celebration and witnessed enthusiastic participation from more than 80 women. We were honored to have a special team of six women staff members from LIC, Tirunelveli Branch, who actively participated in the event and generously donated a mixer (mixie) and other kitchen appliances to our Trust. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to Mr. Arumuga Nainar and Mrs. Nainar for their valuable contribution of a grinder. These materials will greatly support our VAMA Café initiative, which focuses on providing hygienic midday meals for elders. The event featured meaningful sharing sessions where many elders expressed their thoughts through kavithai (poetry) and shared their experiences and achievements in connection with Women’s Day.

167th Week of Sangamam 7th March 2026 The 167th week of Sangamam was successfully conducted at Sailam with a major focus on an Eye Care Camp for elders. This special initiative was organized in association with Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai. To ensure maximum outreach, information about the camp was circulated across 12 nearby panchayats, along with village-level communication to mobilize elders. The camp was conducted over a period of 7 days. During this time, more than 500 elders were screened by specialist doctors. Out of those screened, 31 elders who were diagnosed with cataract underwent successful surgery on 7th March.

166th Week of Sangamam – 28th February 2026 The 166th week of Sangamam was successfully conducted at Sailam. This week featured a small and meaningful gathering of elders, focusing on personal interaction and emotional well-being. We had valuable one-on-one interactions with the elders to understand their interests, their feelings about VAMA, and how effectively we are supporting them in staying connected with society and preventing social isolation. Elders from VK Puram and Thirumalaipuram actively participated in the program. Many elders enjoyed spending time with their peer group, sharing their childhood memories and engaging in heartfelt conversations. This created a joyful and emotionally enriching environment.

Mega Eye Medical Camp at Sivasailam VAMA Charitable Trust A 10-day eye medical camp organized by Sankara Nethralaya Eye Hospital, Chennai, is currently being conducted at VAMA Charitable Trust, Sivasailam. The camp began on March 4 and will continue until March 11. For today’s session, Mr. Esakki Pandiyan, Chairman of Kallidaikurichi Special Grade Town Panchayat, attended the camp and delivered a special address. More than 80 employees from the Kallidaikurichi Town Panchayat participated in the camp and underwent eye examinations. During the camp, individuals who required further treatment were recommended for eye surgery.

164th Week Saturday Sangamam Dear Sir / Madam, We are pleased to share the successful completion of the 164th week of Saturday Sangamam, held today at Sailam, at the VAMA Charitable Trust Centre. This week’s Sangamam was truly special as we had the honour of hosting our special guest, Mr. Senthur Pari, President of the EXNORA International Foundation, along with his family. Their presence added great value and inspiration to the program. The program was jointly organised by Papanasam Sithar Cottam and Research Academy, which conducted an ASNA Mithra Practical Session at the VAMA Centre. Around 25 trainees, along with CWR Consultant partners from EXNORA and ASNA, well-wishers, and volunteers from various locations actively participated in the session. We also acknowledge the presence of Mr. Vithyanithi Kannaiya, whose contribution significantly enriched the program. CSR Consultant Ms. Radha also joined the program and actively participated in the sessions. Program Highlights The event began with a prayer song, setting a positive and spiritual tone for the day. The elders listened attentively and actively practiced the sessions with the support of our volunteers.

VAMA Charitable Trust successfully organised the 163rd Week of Sangamam on 31st January at Sivasailam with the theme “Namma Ooru, Namma Kadamai”, in association with HelpAge India. The programme brought together more than 200 elders, volunteers, professionals, and community members from Tenkasi and Tirunelveli districts, making it a meaningful and impactful gathering focused on elder welfare, health awareness, and social responsibility. The event was honoured by the presence of Ms. Mathivathana, District Social Welfare Officer; Mr. Muthukrishnan, State Program Manager, HelpAge India; medical professionals from Allopathy and Homeopathy including Dr. Palaniyappan (Q-Lab), Dr. Ramasamy, Dr. Suganya, and Dr. Krishnamoorthy; Mr. Ramalingam and team from Tenkasi Moothor Manram; VAMA Trust Trustees Mr. Muthukumarasamy and Mr. Sundaram; trust advisors and well-wishers Mr. Neelakandan and Mr. Meenakshi Subbiramaniyam. Volunteers from Merit B.Ed College and Mukkudal Balagan Saraswathy College actively supported the smooth conduct of the programme.

We are happy to share that the 162nd Week of Sangamam and Pongal Celebration was successfully held on 10th January at Sailam. More than 150 elders participated and joyfully celebrated the Pongal festival. Elders from Ambai Thiruvalluvar Kazhagam, Ambai Tamil Ilakkiya Peravai, and our Sangamam elders from Mannarkoil, VK Puram, Pappakudi, Kadayam, Thirumalai Puram, Kalyanipuram, Alwarkurichy, and Ambasamuthiram actively took part in the event. Students from Balagan Saraswathy College of Arts and Science, Mukkoodal, supported the program by conducting fun games and a lively “Pattukku Pattu” session, which brought great joy and enthusiasm among the elders.