As the victims of the tsunami struggle to consign to the dustbin of time the trail of death and devastation caused by it, volunteers of the Art of Living Foudation are lending a helping hand in the healing process.
While about 100 volunteers from Chennai are helping people in Nagapattinam district, 43 are offering meditation courses in six relief camps across the Andaman island.
"We are having a tremendous response. The courses that we now offer are of 15-minute duration, but the inmates are clamouring for courses of a longer duration. I think we will have to give in to their demand," said Rajesh Puria, a volunteer, who runs a relief camp at the Rabindra Bangla School in Port Blair.
Puria, president of the local Lion's Club, said the course offered at his camp was designed to bring inmates out of the 'hell' they find themselves in due to their mental state. "We are not reminding them of the trauma. We are, instead, helping them come out of it."
Besides offering the Art of Living course, the volunteers are also feeding nearly 1,200 people daily at the camp. "We are not turning away anyone. We are catering to as many people as possible," Puria said.
He said that three direct disciples of Ravi Shankar had arrived in the islands to supervise the conduct of the courses, which are gaining fast acceptance globally.
In Nagapattinam, the volunteers, led by Satyodaja Swamigal, are offering training in Yoga, pranayama and dhyana.
More than 80,000 people are staying in 75 relief camps across the district and many among them are reported to be suffering from psychological problems.
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