A brief profile of Amla Ruia (HER
WORK- PROFILE)
Born of a reasonably well to do family of UP in 1946, her upbringing took place in highly literary and spiritual environment. Her life in UP was very simple and disciplined. At the same time there was plenty of exposure to very affluent living and hence there was no undue attraction towards wealth because it had been lived and experienced at a very close range. During school days along with day to day studies, there was tremendous application in arts, crafts, as well as literature, with the result that originality and creativity flowed unrestrained in all spheres including oil painting, interiors, poetry, gardening, bonsai, flower arrangement etc. Did a highly successful one-man show of oils at the Taj Art Gallery in Mumbai. From early childhood there was an unexplained yearning for “Mukti” even without understanding its implications or conceptions. So when in 1986 she got a chance to get involved with an intense spiritual movement, she plunged headlong in renunciation and doing a lot of reading of scriptures and giving discourses in small gatherings. Meanwhile, in 1964 she had already got married to Ashok Ruia who had a good name in business circles. His was a well known family in textile industry. Her two daughters and one son are all married and settled. Health, Naturopathy and Yoga have always been her line. Between 1996-99, She was drawn towards advance Yoga and Naturopathy and around the same time, was running a small health center which extended various Alternative Therapies along with the treatments from the Rife and John Wright Machines to its patients. They successfully treated some very difficult cases. In 1999, She came in contact with Sri Sri Ravi Shanker of the Art of Living Foundation and his message of celebration and service stirred her to apply her self to service in rural areas. In 2001, She was moved by the plight of the famine stricken in Rajasthan and as my husband’s family hails from there, wanted to find a permanent solution for them. In that context she met Rajendra Singhji of Tarun Bharat Sangh, marvelled at their achievements and decided to participate in their movement. She became an associate of TBS, contributed funds for several water harvesting structures made by them and then moved on to solving the drinking water problem in Ramgarh Shekhawati. Here She joined hands with Ramgarh Vikas Trust and constructed numerous Drinking Water Kunds in Ramgarh. This work is still going on in full swing, with 20 structures currently being erected simultaneously. She believes that the two foremost issues in our country, which need immediate attention are Water and Education, hence, which ever village I enter for doing water harvesting, the issue of primary education is also taken up, depending upon the willingness and enthusiasm shown by the local people. For primary education, She has joined hands with an NGO called Gram Mangal. They have developed a Teacher’s Training Programme, which competes favourably with the very best Models practiced anywhere in the world. They have evolved 800 Teaching Aids, which help to develop every faculty of the child. Educationists, Journalists, Parents and Teachers have all been suitable impressed by Gram Mangals Methodology. She hopes that in the near future, we will be able to erect several model schools in each state of the country, practicing Gram Mangal’s Methodology. Thus we will be able to revamp the primary education of the whole of India.
Gram Mangal is now establishing a model for Secondary Education coupled with a Vocational Training Centre. This will be ready by the middle of 2005. As Gram Mangal believes in keeping their costs low, they are able to make a highly replicable Model. Thus our rural Society will be empowered with some suitable vocation and will not need to leave their home and hearth in search of livelihood dwelling on the pavements of cities such as Mumbai , Delhi and Calcutta. She is trying to take up extensive water harvesting in Bhuj, which is also an area of high water deficiency. Lately, her time and energy, are being directed to developing a herbal garden on Malabar hill, called Shantivan. She intend to take courses such as Gardening, Vermiculture, Nature Trek, Malcolm, (Yoga on the rope) Value based education, poetry writing etc. In the heart of urban jungle, to find a sanctuary of lush green and be able to learn all the above mentioned skills, will benefit the elite as well as slum children, both of whom will be freely invited to participate. She pray to God to utilize every minute of her day and make her serve humanity to the very best of her ability. She do hope that one day my dream of rural self-sufficiency will come true.