Rashtra Sevika Samiti
Founded by late Smt. Lakshmibai Kelkar
at Wardha in the year 1936, the Rashtra Sevika Samiti is a cultural Organization of Hindu Women. The
Rashtra
Sevika Samiti is committed to the cause of the glorious Hindurashtra,
our
motherland. The Samiti is an all India Organisation. They have over
3,500
branches in our country.
Creating awareness among women regarding their cultural and social
responsibilities is the principal theme of the work of the Samiti. With
this aim
in view the Samiti imparts training to women. The said training involves
development of a woman as a whole; physically intellectually and
spirituall
so that she could lead the society through operation of shakhas
(Branches).
It must be remembered that women constitute the very back-bone of the
family. Women
have to play multiple roles, annapoorna (Providing nutrition), nurse,
maintaining hygiene
and sanitation, taking care of ecology, bringing up children and a host
of other roles
simultaneously. But the most important role a woman has to play is that
of a preacher of
culture and way of life-Dharma & to inculcate ethical values and
practices in her family. It
is mainly the women who transmit the cultural values to the successive
generations. The
training imparted to the women through Shakhas is designed to meet all
such demands
and to equip the Sevikas so that they would be able to promote and
practice all that is
expected of them.
The Samiti holds periodical shibirs (Training camps) of varying
durations, from time to time,
for intensive exposure of the Seviks to various issues facing our
country. The main training
is imparted in the annual training camp so as to equip the participants
in such a way that
they could conduct the Shakha work competently.
Various functions and programmes are organized every year so as to
establish and sustain
social contacts on a mass scale. State level and National level
conferences are held
routinely for review and planning of work.
The Samiti operates various seva karyas which include schools for girls,
hostels for girls,
hostels for children of the disabled leprosy patients, samskar kendras,
vocational training
centers, counselling centers, libraries, tuition classes, etc.
One significant karya is to train women so that they could officiate as
priests on various
religious occasions and rites. It is now a common sight in a few cities
in Maharashtra to
see women officiating as priests. In fact they are in great demand
because they conduct
the rites meticulously and in the true spirit of a priest.
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