Payir is a non-profit organisation started by one of our friends named Senthil Gopalan. After working for a few years in US, he returned back to his hometown and has started a series of projects in a village named Thenur, around 50 km from Trichy.The mission of Payir is to facilitate in the transformation of Indian villages into socially stimulating, self-sustaining, growth-oriented communities. We believe that to achieve this transformation it is necessary to have a holistic approach, where all aspects of challenges in rural life are addressed.
One of the first projects was a Health Center, which was started a few years back. Now, he is looking at starting a Learning Center which will be transformed into a non-formal education center in years to come. Initially, we are planning to start a library and get the kids in and around his village to get into the reading habit.
Ranjani and I are involved and helping Senthil in starting a library and a Learning Center. For the same, we are planning to tie up with The HippoCampus. We started talking with them and getting suggestions on starting a library.
We also are planning to mobilise children's books for the library from friends and well wishers. It would be great if you, the readers of this blog, can contribute some good used or new children's books. We are looking for books that would help in reading English, Tamil; Story books, picture books are also most welcome. We are targetting books for the age group of 3-10.
If you are interested, you could send the books to -
Couriers and Shipments can be sent to:
Senthilkumar Gopalan
C/o Leela Gopalan
48 Ammamandapam Road,
Mambalachalai
Trichy 620 006
Tamil Nadu
Phone: 0431 2434789
Our Thenur address for all letters (only through Indian Postal Service)
Senthilkumar Gopalan
Payir Trust
Thenur village
(via) T. Kalathur
Kunnam Taluk
Perambalur District
Tamil Nadu 621 114
India
For Indians staying abroad, since the shipment of books might be costly, it would be of great help if you could bring along some books during one of your visits to India. Any small help is greatly appreciated. We are also looking at another option for people residing in US. If you are interested, do send me an email.
10 comments:
satish, what a noble cause! i've been to trichy several times and love climbing the malai kottai (my dad used to work in thuvakudi in those days)... thanks for sharing this- would be a wonderful opportunity for me to contribute productively.
Hi S and R -
Inspiring work by Payir, and neat that you and Ranjani can get involved in the learning center project. Would love to help as much as I can.
Thanks -
P
thank you so much for posting this - you dont know how timely it is for me. am interested in the other option you mentioned - for people residing in US. my gmail id is - kodimeow.
Sheela,
Thank you. if time permits, do visit senthil and his team at thenur when you get to visit trichy next time.
Since u mentioned thuvakudi, by any chance did u study in rsk? :)
do drop an email at sathish dot ramakrishnan at gmail and I will send my list of indian based books that we found interesting in our household.
praba, Thanks for your kind words and also for letting us use this blog for promoting this cause.
kodi's mom, I am glad it is timely. I have sent an email with some details to you.
thank you for interest in helping payir.
Hi Sathish / Ranjani,
Kudos for your work and thanks for giving us an opportunity to get involved. I have arranged for my 8yr old nephew's used books to be sent (from Chennai). Meanwhile, I will also send books to India through my visiting parents, although later in the year. I wish Senthil all the very best to keep us his god work!
This has been a wonderful post to read. I am so inspired by Senthil's work. I would love to contribute books, and plan to get them when I am in Chennai next, which is in June next year. Am saving all the info here.
meera, thank you for some immediate action.
tharini, thank you for planning to donate some books in June. It would be greatly beneficial. Senthil is definitely a great inspiration.
This is a great work and I am unable imagine what transpired Mr Senthil to initiate this. I have been wanting to do this for many years but got caught up with mundane life. Also the simple way they have started is admirable. I wish to join Payir soon and pray God to give me the strength to do. Having studied and lived for 42 years in India and I want to give back somethingto the society.
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