CHENNAI: In order to honour parents of children who were enrolled in several Veda pathasalas in the country, Loka Kshema Seva Samiti led by Swaminatha Sarma Sastri conducted an award ceremony at Kuchalambal Kalyana Mahal on Saturday.
Bramendhra Bharathi, a senior member of the organising committee, said, “we have been working meticulously towards organising this event. Our volunteers went around different pathasalas, collected the student list with their location details and contacted these parents.”
Among the 329 parents who were invited from across 72 locations in the country, 243 parents had turned out for the felicitation event. “We chose 11 pathasalas and invited a set of 329 parents. Some were overwhelmed that they were being recognised for sending their children to learn Vedas,” said Bharathi.The parents were from far-off places including Chittoor, Karnataka, Nellore, Delhi and Mumbai. Swaminatha Sarma, who conceived the idea of honouring the parents, said, “the response is overwhelming. I did expect so many people to turn up, but the surprising part is the contribution from the public.”
The parents were awarded with gifts and gold coins. “This is just a way of showing our gratitude towards the sacrifice they have made. Having them all come together in one place is a great feeling,” said Sarma.“We want to spread awareness of Vedas and want more parents to come forward and enrol their children in pathasalas to keep our roots intact,” he explained. Raja Vedapathasala, Sankaramatam, Kumarantakam, Thiruvanamali, Padapai and Sri Srimuraldhara Swamigal Pathasala were some of the Vedic schools which took part in the function.