Sevalaya celebrated India’s 80th Independence Day with patriotic fervour on 15 August 2026 at its Kasuva Centre, near Thiruninravur, Tiruvallur. The celebration was organised by Aalam Vizhuthugal – Sevalaya’s Alumni Association.
Dr Hemalatha J, Educationalist, Author and Community Champion, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest along with her husband Raghu and hoisted the National Flag. Sevalaya alumnus Abinesh R also participated as a special guest. As part of the Independence Day celebrations, Sevalaya’s Alumni Association organised a blood donation camp.
V Muralidharan, Founder and Managing Trustee; Bhuvaneswari Muralidharan, Co-founder and Honorary Correspondent; and Annapurna N, Trustee, Sevalaya, were present on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Hemalatha said that the best way to honour the freedom secured by our forefathers was to take the country forward. She said that a country’s progress is measured not just in its income, but the happiness and well-being of its people. She added that Sevalaya also plays a role in making India a developed nation.
She administered three pledges to the students: “I will always be truthful; I will help others at least once a week; and I will always keep my surroundings clean and happy.” She noted that studies have shown that children benefit from spending time with elders and appreciated Sevalaya’s established practice of bringing children and elders together in its Homes. She also expressed happiness at seeing Sevalaya’s alumni come together to organise the Independence Day celebrations.
Raghu in his speech thanked Sevalaya and shared his recent experience of recording a flute video performance at Sevalaya’s gaushala. Abinesh, Sevalaya alumnus, shared that he is currently working as a Cardiac Technologist and that Sevalaya had supported his higher education. He said that Sevalaya extends support for higher education to students who perform well academically. He also noted that Sevalaya alumni are now coming together to provide support for the education of Sevalaya students and encouraged the current batch of students to extend their support to the next generation.
Kingston A A, VP- Development, Sevalaya along with Sevalaya alumni Vaishnavi, Udhayakumar and Vignesh hosted the programme. Parents, alumni, volunteers, Community College students and members of the local community participated in the blood donation camp, with 101 people donating blood. Sevalaya alumni also presented various cultural performances.
Earlier, V Muralidharan, Founder and Managing Trustee, Sevalaya, welcomed the gathering. He highlighted the challenges faced by several countries around India and said that India’s unity has helped the country remain stable and emerge as the world’s fourth-largest economy. He called upon everyone to donate blood on Independence Day, describing it as a meaningful way to mark the occasion. He appreciated alumna Dr Narmatha for organising the blood donation camp and expressed his happiness that the Independence Day celebrations had been given greater meaning through the initiative.
N Annapurna, Trustee, Sevalaya, delivered the Vote of Thanks. She noted that the entire week had been filled with celebrations at Sevalaya, with the Annual Day, Science Exhibition and the Independence Day- bringing joy to the students. She recalled V Muralidharan’s vision that Sevalaya alumni should take forward and steer the organisation and expressed hope that this vision would soon become a reality.
A memento was presented to the Chief Guest. Sweets were distributed to the gathering and everyone sang the National Anthem. Independence Day was celebrated across Sevalaya’s 66 centres, including Ambattur, Chengalpattu, Dharmapuri, Gudalur, Kancheepuram, Thanjavur, Tenkasi and Tiruvallur, with students, staff, beneficiaries and members of the local communities participating in the celebrations.
