Community service At Ashraya sanketham kalayapuram Day 2

On 13/03/2025, we arrived at Ashraya at
10:00 AM for the second day of our visit. Our teachers, Vismaya Thomas and Sithusha, were present to observe and guide us throughout the day. The day began with a reflection session during the orientation class led by Shanthakumar Sir. He encouraged us to reflect on our previous day’s experience and share our thoughts. This helped us identify areas for improvement and motivated us to engage more effectively with the residents. Shanthakumar Sir also instructed us to prepare for a debate on the topics of mobile usage, all-pass in exams, and ragging, setting the tone for a thoughtful and engaging day.

At 10:30 AM, we were divided into two groups—one group went to the male ward and the other to the female ward. In the male ward, we interacted with several residents. We met Gopalakrishnan from Kizhakkekallada and Sukumaran from Elamad, Kottarakkara, who requested us to sing a song. We also met Krishna Kumar from Thrikkannamangalam, and Satheeshkumar from Alappuzha, a B.Com graduate, who engaged us with general knowledge questions and demonstrated yoga poses. Kunjumon from Ayoor shared stories about his family, which gave us a glimpse into his life and personal experiences.

At 11:00 AM, we gathered in the general hall for a group activity session. We were divided into three groups and conducted various activities to engage the residents, including ball passing, musical chairs, singing, dancing, action songs, and simple exercises. The residents actively participated and seemed to enjoy the session.

From 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, we participated in a prayer session. I also joined other students in singing a prayer song, which created a peaceful and spiritual atmosphere. 

After the prayer, from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM, the manager, Varghese Kurien, gave a welcome speech for our teachers and provided a brief talk about the Ashraya community and its mission.

Following the speech, we had lunch. After lunch, we visited the female ward, where we met Shanthamma from Nediyavila and Naseela from Nilamel. They shared their life experiences and spoke to us about their daily routines.

At 3:00 PM, we were assigned to clean and arrange the library. This activity helped us contribute to the upkeep of the facility and allowed us to work as a team. By 3:30 PM, we had a concluding reflection session led by our teachers, Vismaya Thomas and Sithusha. They encouraged us to share our thoughts on the day’s experience, which helped us process our learnings and understand the emotional impact of the visit.