A Premier All-India Voluntary Organization
The Servants of India Society, also known as the Hind Sevak Sangh, is a premier all-India level social service voluntary organization, founded in 1905 by the great statesman and political Guru of Mahatma Gandhi, Late Lamented Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who pioneered socio-economic and political reform in the pre-independent era of the nation.
Its main object was to serve the cause of millions of poor, needy and depressed persons, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, and to build up, in the country, a higher type of character and capacity among the people. It also aimed at training national missionaries for the service of the motherland, to promote, by all constitutional means, the interests of the Indian people, and to create among the people, by precept, a deep and passionate love of motherland, seeking its highest fulfilment in service and sacrifice.
The Servants of India Society continues its welfare activities throughout India today, through its various branches and centres, for the welfare of the downtrodden. It welcomes co-operation and assistance from citizens of the nation in rendering service to the needy in a better way.
From 1905 to the Choudwar Centre
The Society was established to serve the poor, needy and depressed and to build character and capacity among the people, at a time when India was still under colonial rule.
The Choudwar Centre was established by late lamented Padmashree Laxminarayan Sahoo, the first member of the Servants of India Society from Odisha. Since its inception it has rendered uninterrupted social service in this locality and in various places throughout Odisha.
Fields of Work
Since its establishment in 1927, the Choudwar Centre has been active in the field of child development, women development, education, rural reconstruction, the eradication and rehabilitation of patients suffering from leprosy, and distress relief.
Child Development
Women Development
Education
Rural Reconstruction
Leprosy Rehabilitation
Distress Relief
Serving Without Distinction
The Society exists to serve the poor, needy and depressed, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. This founding purpose continues to guide the work of the Choudwar Centre in every programme it runs, from the care of children to relief for families in distress.
Making the Best Use of Resources
The Centre makes the best use of the resources available to it and works to fulfil the physical, emotional, intellectual, social and cultural development needs of the children and communities it serves, through direct, sustained, on-the-ground presence rather than short-term intervention.
Servindia Children's Home
Also referred to as Sishu Sadan, the Servindia Children's Home was started in the premises of the Choudwar Centre in 1975. Parentless, abandoned children and children in difficult situations are admitted into this home and provided with homely care and nourishment.
Special attention is given to their physical, mental, emotional, scholastic and intellectual development. Recreation facilities including indoor and outdoor games, excursions, a library, and literary and cultural meets are provided to the children in residence. A monthly wall magazine named “Baarabula” nurtures the inner talent of the children, and regular yoga and moral teaching classes support a healthy body and mind.
To support their future rehabilitation, the Centre has opened vocational training units through which academically average children are given training toward future employment and self-sufficiency. The home itself provides accommodation with an RCC roof and pucca building, and the children attend nearby local schools for their education. All health and medical care, including regular health checkups, is provided to the children in residence.
Servindia Sishu Greh
The Choudwar Centre has managed a Sishu Greh — a Specialized Adoption Agency — on its premises at Choudwar since 2005. Through the Sishu Greh, intensive care and protection is provided for abandoned and relinquished babies, and for newborn babies of unmarried mothers, by trained and experienced lady caretakers.
Babies within the age group of 0 to 6 years are kept at the Greh and given motherly care, with modern arrangements made for their comfort. The Choudwar Centre received the certificate of recognition for in-country and inter-country adoption from the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Odisha. Issueless parents are invited to adopt a child from the Sishu Greh and give them a family full of love and protection.
As the oldest unit in the state working in the field of women and child development, the Choudwar Centre has been taking care of children as and when found, and admitted into the Servindia home, since 1972.