The cool, calm, and smiling face of Sister Mythili doesn’t unveil that she is a social activist, who runs many firms for the welfare of women and children. She says, “I am the tool of God and He is using me as an instrument”. She was the recipient of Emerging Entrepreneur Award by India Today for Women-Amway award in January 2011.
Sister Mythili was physically handicapped since her childhood due to polio. Mythili says, “It was the greatness of my parents who never had treated me as a handicapped child. My father strictly ordered me not to cripple. Using special boots, I even played tennis, badminton, basketball, and have done all other activities a normal child does.”
Childhood of Sister Mythili
Sister Mythili was born in a brahmin family in Madhurai on September 10, 1947. She was the eldest daughter of Adv. V Sankaran and Gouri Sankaran. Her grand father V Vaidyanatha Iyer was a freedom fighter, and it was him who opened the Madurai Meenakshi temple for Harijans.
Mythili’s younger sister Veena recollects, “She has got all the respect as she is the eldest child of our family. I always have seen her as very active. We never felt that she had any disability. In our family, everything was done according to her opinion.”
Social Activities
From childhood itself, Mythili was interested in the welfare of others. After completing graduation, with the consent of her parents, she joined Sri Saradha Samiti at Salem to become a Nun. During that time, she completed her B.Ed and specialised in educational administration. Here, she also got guidance of Swami Chithbavananda to practice spiritual and social work together.
In that period, she got invitation from the Kasturbagram to organise a girls’ school at Erode. The job was so challenging that once she herself had to do the latrine cleaning as there was no one to do such jobs. Seeing her cleaning, the inmates also joined her. “The school was started with five classes. To collect children for the school, I had to walk kilometers in those days. This routine strengthened my polio affected leg,” sister recollected. She spend one year as the headmistress of the school.
After completing her M.Ed, by the request of Dr. Soudram Ramachandran, she joined Gandhigram to help in Sevikashram. It was started to rehabilitate and educate widows, the destitute women, and deserted wives. Here she accepted Dr. G Ramachandran as her comrade guru. “He molded the social worker in me. He also encouraged me to practice Yogoda in a systematic manner and I accepted Swami Paramahansa Yogananda as my spiritual guru,” Mythili said.
The Role of an Enterpreneur
Mythili’s Guru Dr. G Ramachandran returned from Gandhigram at the age of 75 to his home town, Neyyattinkara. Mythili accompanied to take care of him and took charge as secretary of Madhavi Mandhiram Lokseva Trust founded by Dr G Ramachandran.
“To make me engaged in social activities, he planned many programs. First, he started a stay home for the destitute women. We established a Khadi weaving centre and also produced a new type of quality saree named G R Sarees. Seeing the unsanitary condition of women in the locality, I started a production centre for low-priced napkin. Thus the small scale industry ‘Daya’ was formed. It also had produced urinary bags at that time,” Mythili said. Some of the units were slowed down due to change in rules and wages.
Now, the industry ‘Daya’ has been developed as a special hi-tech centre, producing biomedical devices. In December 4, 1995, she started an industry named ‘Hridaya’. “It was the idea of Dr. Valiathan, former director of Sri Chithra Medical Centre, who has created the ‘Chitra Valve’. He wanted me to assemble heart valve for TTK Pharma,” she said. The centre is now making sewing ring for heart valve with utmost care and cleanliness.
Presently, Mythili is handling the role of managing trustee of Madhavi Mandiram Lok Seva Trust, the proprietorship of Daya Industry, Hridaya, and Sananthaka hand-made paper Industry. There is also a school named Dr. G R Public School, functioning under her guidance.
Sister Mythili was physically handicapped since her childhood due to polio. Mythili says, “It was the greatness of my parents who never had treated me as a handicapped child. My father strictly ordered me not to cripple. Using special boots, I even played tennis, badminton, basketball, and have done all other activities a normal child does.”
Childhood of Sister Mythili
Sister Mythili was born in a brahmin family in Madhurai on September 10, 1947. She was the eldest daughter of Adv. V Sankaran and Gouri Sankaran. Her grand father V Vaidyanatha Iyer was a freedom fighter, and it was him who opened the Madurai Meenakshi temple for Harijans.
Mythili’s younger sister Veena recollects, “She has got all the respect as she is the eldest child of our family. I always have seen her as very active. We never felt that she had any disability. In our family, everything was done according to her opinion.”
Social Activities
From childhood itself, Mythili was interested in the welfare of others. After completing graduation, with the consent of her parents, she joined Sri Saradha Samiti at Salem to become a Nun. During that time, she completed her B.Ed and specialised in educational administration. Here, she also got guidance of Swami Chithbavananda to practice spiritual and social work together.
In that period, she got invitation from the Kasturbagram to organise a girls’ school at Erode. The job was so challenging that once she herself had to do the latrine cleaning as there was no one to do such jobs. Seeing her cleaning, the inmates also joined her. “The school was started with five classes. To collect children for the school, I had to walk kilometers in those days. This routine strengthened my polio affected leg,” sister recollected. She spend one year as the headmistress of the school.
After completing her M.Ed, by the request of Dr. Soudram Ramachandran, she joined Gandhigram to help in Sevikashram. It was started to rehabilitate and educate widows, the destitute women, and deserted wives. Here she accepted Dr. G Ramachandran as her comrade guru. “He molded the social worker in me. He also encouraged me to practice Yogoda in a systematic manner and I accepted Swami Paramahansa Yogananda as my spiritual guru,” Mythili said.
The Role of an Enterpreneur
Mythili’s Guru Dr. G Ramachandran returned from Gandhigram at the age of 75 to his home town, Neyyattinkara. Mythili accompanied to take care of him and took charge as secretary of Madhavi Mandhiram Lokseva Trust founded by Dr G Ramachandran.
“To make me engaged in social activities, he planned many programs. First, he started a stay home for the destitute women. We established a Khadi weaving centre and also produced a new type of quality saree named G R Sarees. Seeing the unsanitary condition of women in the locality, I started a production centre for low-priced napkin. Thus the small scale industry ‘Daya’ was formed. It also had produced urinary bags at that time,” Mythili said. Some of the units were slowed down due to change in rules and wages.
Now, the industry ‘Daya’ has been developed as a special hi-tech centre, producing biomedical devices. In December 4, 1995, she started an industry named ‘Hridaya’. “It was the idea of Dr. Valiathan, former director of Sri Chithra Medical Centre, who has created the ‘Chitra Valve’. He wanted me to assemble heart valve for TTK Pharma,” she said. The centre is now making sewing ring for heart valve with utmost care and cleanliness.
Presently, Mythili is handling the role of managing trustee of Madhavi Mandiram Lok Seva Trust, the proprietorship of Daya Industry, Hridaya, and Sananthaka hand-made paper Industry. There is also a school named Dr. G R Public School, functioning under her guidance.
==================================
