News Stories

Parmarth literally means “Dedicated to the Welfare of All” and that’s not merely the name of the ashram, but truly the message and the mission of Pujya Swamiji’s life. See www.parmarth.com, www.ihrf.com, www.projecthope-tsunami.com and www.parmarth.com/up- dates/ IHRF2009newsletter.pdf for details of the charitable and humanitarian projects and activitiesrunonaregularbasis. ThearmsoftheFoundation’sservice,underPujyaSwamiji’s guidance, just expand and expand, embracing more and more of the needy population.

New School

We spent Christmas morning inaugurating a new school we've adopted, in a small village outside of Rishikesh. Several hundred chil- dren, of the "backward" classes (which tragi- cally and ironically refers to the lower classes), many of the "untouchable" caste, and all of whom are impoverished, attend this school which was no longer able to sustain itself.

We've adopted the whole school and will be building brand new facilities, a com- puter center, playground etc. as well as, of course, providing the basics which are so desperately needed. We gave them the choice of which day to choose for the inauguration and, perhaps purposely, per- haps coincidentally, they chose Christmas day. So, during the inauguration function, Pujya Swamiji told them all that even Jesus -- whose birthday the world cel- ebrates on this day -- who was one of the greatest messengers of peace and one of the greatest saints of all time, came not from a royal family, but rather was the son of a carpenter.

"You can become anything" He told them all....and with His grace, I'm sure they will.