I am attempting to raise Rs. 2 lacs, towards an initiative being spearheaded by Satyam Sumiran Yoga Research Foundation, to organise and execute a Yogic Medical Retreat in the villages adjoining Badlapur. The retreat aims to make available to over 800 villagers, medical care and treatment, by bringing doctors from various fields together under one roof. Details follow in subsequent pages. The money raised will be utilised for the procurement and distribution of nutrition and hygiene kits as well as purchase of medicines to be dispensed at the camp. The total amount required to cover different aspects of organising and executing this activity is approximately Rs. 8 lacs.

I have been involved with similar projects in the past. I am involved with Uday Public Charitable Trust, that raises funds for children of martyred soldiers; I have volunteered time and funds towards the execution of medical camps in Jharkhand, raised funds for those who lost their home in the Kashmir earthquake, among many others. I do it because I can, and i do believe that beyond the separation of our clothes and our titles and our homes and everything else that splits us, we are all one. And thus, every person i am able to reach out to , is only another part of me that I am facilitating change in. It's not about charity, it's about investing into the present and future through bodies beyond my own. I invite you to share the space with me, even if it's for only as long as it takes to read this.

Technology has enabled us to reach out to 800 people with a click of a button, from our own home. While you sit here, your presence can reach outwards and meet those sitting in a faraway corner of Maharashtra. Some of those places, are as nameless as the people within them. Apart from the physical distance, they are like you and me, with similar needs.

The upcoming Yogic Medical Retreat is as much about raising awareness using tools of Yoga to enable patients to become self reliant as it is about making available, medical care in line with the most common needs of the people. 800 people are expected to attend the camp, which has specialities including Opthamology, Paediatrics, Gynaecology, and General medicine.

The area covered includes villages adjoining Badlapur ( near Thane, Maharashtra) - Pachon, Karand, Padirpada, Sagaon, Chon, Dhoke, Rahatoli, among others who are expected to benefit from this retreat.

This is the second such Yogic Medical Retreat being organised at the Sree Ramadasa Ashram, Ramagiri, Near Ambeshiv Village, Badlapur; under the direction of the Satyam Sumiran Yoga Research Foundation (SSYRF).

The first camp provided consultation to 900 people. In line with the philosophy that man heals not by medicine alone, the retreat begins with the sound of Indian instruments being played to the word of Kirtans, invoking higher energies and establishing a connection between patients, doctors and volunteers, as also creating an atmosphere where science meets the spiritual.

Laughter, ease and joy are used in copious amounts to facilitate change and shift. These are only the nascent steps of a larger journey towards health, vitality and joy for all, where the boundary between the one who gives and receives constantly blends into each other.

SSYRF has been founded by Dr. Swami Yogaparatap. Propelled by the direction, guidance and grace of his Guru, Paramahamsa Satyananda Saraswati, he chose to study and pursue medicine, while opting for the life of a renunciate. He combines his deep understanding of yogic and spiritual principles, with science, to bring forth a holistic, integrated approach, that serves oneness over separation. In his time at Rikhiapeeth, that spans over two decades, he set up an OPD for the villagers, conducted various multispecialty medical camps, nutrition camps for women and children, health awareness workshops, in addition to all the other seva at the ashram where he developed a deep understanding in Yoga and Vedanta.

Responding to an inner calling he received from his Guru, Swami Yogapratap has now set forward to furthering the cause and foundational principles of Sri Swamiji’s teachings, ie., to serve those in need, with holistic programs spanning medicine, value based skill training, reintroducing yogic farming techniques etc. His setting up of SSYRF also offers a unique opportunity for seekers of consciousness, across age, gender and place in society to connect with the higher vibrations through seva, as also becoming instrumental in the upliftment of fellow brothers and sisters.