Together, towards building a resurgent India

Mysuru: Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM) celebrated its 36th Foundation Day on Dec.1 at its head Quarters in Saragur, Mysuru district. 

SVYM employees from different centres across Karnataka, well-wishers and long-standing partners attended the event. 

Chief guests Swami Nikhileswaranandaji, a senior monk of Ramakrishna Ashram, Rajkot and A.S. Kiran Kumar, former Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation, attended the celebrations along with Dr. R. Balasubramaniam, Founder,  Dr. M.R. Seetharam, President and Dr. G.S. Kumar, CEO, SVYM.

Thirty-five years ago, Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement’s journey started when a group of young medicos inspired by Swami Vivekananda decided to serve the marginalised and displaced tribal communities living in H.D. Kote taluk. Today, the organisation has a strength of 800 plus members acting as a nationwide network developing human and social capital to build a resurgent India. With nearly 50% of the workforce under 30 years of age, and equally powered by men and women, SVYM truly is a youth movement.

In over 3 decades, SVYM has engaged with the community, the corporate and the government to roll out innovative and highly economical models of development, some of the recent ones like the Palliative Care Programme and Rural Social Business Unit for tribal women entrepreneurship are potential pilot programmes that can be implemented in different States.

Today, SVYM runs over 40 programmes in health, education, socio-economic empowerment and training and research reaching a population of over 3 million people.

Swami Nikhileswaranandaji while addressing the gathering talked about the ‘servant leadership’ way of management practised in SVYM where the leaders feel they are servants, that is, they think more in terms of working together, rather than enforcing things onto the community they serve and their partners.

Kiran Kumar lauded SVYM for the work that it has done in community development and education in the last 35 years.

Dr. Kumar  thanked everyone for their dedicated service and said that everyone must develop leadership qualities as an organisation needs many more leaders than just the top management to be able to serve a community enough to make a difference.

For details, call Kalpana on Mob: 96866-66312 or 99004-08284.