The first cyclone in JR’s memory has hit the Tamil Nadu coast. Kovalam escaped the worst of the damage but, as VMT trustee Jude explains, Chennai and Pondicherry weren’t so lucky: “Chennai and Pondicherry are devastated by the cyclone “Thane” and Pondy is affected a lot. Everything is shut, the roads are blocked by fallen [...]
News
Cyclone hits Tamil Nadu
December 31st, 2011Learning Lessons in Kovalam
October 8th, 2011We’ve made our first film about the Venkat Trust’s work in Kovalam.
Election time in Kovalam
October 6th, 2011NEWS UPDATE: JR WINS A SECOND TERM JR (Janikiraman) the Trust’s Managing Trustee in India, stood for re-election as President of Kovalam. When Sylvia and new VMT trustee Sarah da Silva were in Kovalam in September, they both gave speeches in support of his campaign to hundreds of voters. Sylvia’s speech: “Varnakum! (Greetings!) “Neengal eypadi [...]
Sylvia appears on Midweek
June 17th, 2011Listen to Sylvia’s interview with Libby Purves on BBC Radio 4′s Midweek talking about the story behind the Venkat Trust. Her slot is just over ten minutes into the programme.
Can you help the new High School?
May 21st, 2011From a room in the name of your choice for £4,000, to a tenner for a classroom sign, there are lots of ways to play a part in building the splendid new Kovalam High School. Happily, thanks to all the donations we have had over the past couple of years, we have the money – [...]
Blessings on the High School
March 25th, 2011At last, the High School has been blessed – both by the authorities who have finally given us the green light to start building and by the earth Goddess. The Bhoomi Puja (Bhoomi means ‘earth’) ceremony has been performed by JR and the chief mason and work will start soon. Jude, one of our Kovalam [...]
News of the Trust reaches Oklahoma
March 21st, 2011On Sylvia’s last visit to Kovalam she met Mary Ann Prior, one of our sponsors, who is spreading the word in America. Mary Ann wrote about her visit in The Oklahoman
Literacy rate improves
December 29th, 2010Six years ago the literacy rate among Kovalam’s children was just 60%. Today it is 95% and VMT can take a lot of credit for this vast improvement. Before our involvement with the Panchayat school, there were too few classrooms, too few and unqualified teachers, and the attendance record of the pupils was poor. At [...]
High School update
September 7th, 2010Despite permission being given for the High School when Sylvia visited Kovalam at the beginning of September, there has been yet another bureaucratic glitch. We have been assured that work will get underway very shortly. There is some good news however. Because of the delay and our supporters’ generosity, we now have more funds available. [...]
VMT Volleyball Tournament
July 18th, 2010The first Venkat Trust Volleyball Tournament took place over a weekend in the spring. Twenty teams from Kovalam, the surrounding villages, Chennai and as far away as Pondicherry, some 80 miles down the coast, took part. Several local dignitaries attended the Finals which were won by the Pondicherry team – their captain is seen here [...]
