humanitarian projects
VISION & MISSION
NIRA visualizes a just society, where the people live in peace, equality, justice and the poor and marginalized have equal opportunity for their sustainable development.
NIRA’s mission is to make real the idea of society consisting of free and equal citizens who are able to come together and solve the problems that affect them in their particular contexts. The commitment is to work for a paradigm of development and governance that is democratic and polyarchic. NIRA seeks to institutionalise the idea that development and governance is not only to be left to the State and its formal bodies like the legislature and the bureaucracy, but that citizens and their associations should engage separately and jointly with the State. The mission briefly, is to construct the conditions in which citizens of different backgrounds and perspectives can come together and deliberate on how they can work to benefit and empower the least advantaged in society.
Working with individuals, groups and communities, NIRA’s aim is to empower the disadvantaged to overcome the many social, political and economic barriers they face, and to help them access opportunities that lead to a better quality of life.
It is NIRA’s vision to promote sustainable system development of the society where people irrespective of caste, creed and religion will enjoy all sorts of opportunities and advantages equally with special emphasis on empowerment of the women and children, and echo harmony.
INITIATIVES FOR WOMEN
REETI FASHIONS: reetifashions.com
Reeti Fashions, a hand-crafted artisan jewelry line, is a self-sustaining, humanitarian initiative by NIRA dedicated to impacting the lives of women across cultures and socio-economic status. The Initiative is committed to empowering women, thereby strengthening families and transforming communities.
The concept behind Reeti Fashions is a noble one: Mridula Nair one of the Trustees of NIRA Multiversity, uses her design skills to provide business opportunities for several disadvantaged women in India. Mridula, an advocate of women’s empowerment, was inspired to create Reeti Fashions by the rich cultural heritage, strength and resilience of the Indian women.
Women bear almost all responsibility for meeting basic needs of the family, yet are systematically denied the resources, information and freedom of action they need to fulfill this responsibility.
The vast majority of the world’s poor are women. Two-thirds of the world’s illiterates are female. Of the millions of school age children not in school, the majority are girls. In several countries, more than three-quarters of all young people living with HIV are women.
The current world food price crisis is having a severe impact on women. Around the world, millions of people eat two or three times a day, but a significant percentage of women eat only once. And, now, many women are denying themselves even that one meal to ensure that their children are fed. These women are already suffering the effects of severe malnutrition, which inevitably will be their children’s fate as well. The impact of this crisis will be with us for many years.
Through Reeti Fashions, Mridula has developed a network of social entrepreneurs to help create jobs for women in shelters designed to provide counseling, medical care, literacy and job training. The Reeti Fashions Initiative enables women to enhance and develop their quality of life and become architects of their future by presenting opportunities for spiritual, educational, and economic transformation.
It is the primary mission of Reeti Fashions to support the empowerment of women around the globe with their philanthropic efforts. Mridula says, “I appreciate the opportunity to educate consumers about these serious global women’s issues and invite them to change the world while shopping the world. I am of course thrilled that my design skills are providing business opportunities for so many low-income mothers and destitute women as well as providing unique fashion jewelry to our worldwide clientele while preserving our Indian tradition and values.”
The required raw materials for the jewelry are procured at the source, with the help of NIRA’s humanitarian network, in order to keep low manufacturing costs. Thus, this trade helps support local artisans and suppliers by developing sustainable income streams from local resources. Revenue generated from sales of jewelry through Reeti Fashions is brought back into NIRA and used to fund other humanitarian programs.
Studies show that when women are supported and empowered, all of society benefits. Their families are healthier, more children go to school, agricultural productivity improves and incomes increase. In short, communities become more prosperous and resilient. Reeti Fashions offers you this chance to help support a community development program that will improve the quality of life for several low-income mothers and underprivileged women and their community.
Drawing upon 10 years of experience in fashion design and product development for well known retailers, Mridula has developed and chosen an incredible assortment of beautifully crafted pieces to debut this season. Indigenous design elements include vibrant semi-precious stones, pearls, exquisite Rajwadi sets, Temple jewelry, Victorian jewelry and various gold and silver toned metals.
Your single purchase from Reeti Fashions is very significant because it helps support several households. You not only buy a product; you in fact give life to many. You may purchase something simply because you like it. But your simple purchase provides sustenance to several helpless women and keeps them from tragically ending their life by committing suicide.
Not only that, your purchase also helps preserve our rich Indian tradition, culture, values and skills which would otherwise become obsolete in the modern market of machine made jewelry. Each and every item at Reeti Fashions is like a baby – carefully conceived and lovingly nurtured with personal attention. So when you wear a necklace to bedeck yourself, keep in mind that someone somewhere has put in their love, their energy, their time to help you look beautiful. You should feel proud to wear Reeti fashions jewelry and when your friends and family compliment your beauty, you can also tell them about the beautiful cause you support.
NIRAHAR
The Nirahar Initiative was started with the intention of bringing fresh, unadulterated, organic groceries (fruits, vegetables, spices, jams, snacks, flours, etc.) to you while providing a means of livelihood to underprivileged women and families all over the country.
NIRA believes that mass-produced food items available in neatly packaged containers and preserved for year round consumption at the grocery store are not organic in the true sense. They are beautifully packaged and preserved dead bodies of things once living. It would be wrong to call them “organic”. These mass-produced items are stripped of a major portion of their nutritive value during processing and also laced with preservatives and artificial colours and flavours for mass appeal.
Nirahar food products are free of preservatives, pesticides and other additives. They are brought to you FRESH in their true, raw, authentic form without any kind of processing. Hence our food products have to be bought and consumed as and when they become available in nature. Nirahar groceries are not produced on a mass-scale. They are available in limited quantities as dictated by nature. Nirahar organic snacks etc. are prepared fresh in small batches by women in a homely environment only when order is placed and not in a factory. At Nirahar we do not believe in branding, marketing, packaging or preserving.
When one family becomes committed to their health and eating healthy and starts ordering organic foods from us, it provides livelihood to several families who are assigned to provide those organic things to them.
HOW TO ORDER NIRAHAR:
We take orders for immediate delivery only of those items which we have readily available. In case of items that are not ready or available, we will keep your order pending and provide delivery when those items become available.
Please note that availability of many grains, spices, and other food items is subject to season, climate and other environmental conditions. Hence these items will be made available as and when we receive them from our sources. For non-perishable items it is recommended that you place an order an year in advance to meet your family’s needs for the whole year.
If you have registered yourself to receive organic supplies from NIRAHAR we will inform you from time to time when food items become available. Nirahar has tie-ups with farmers, families and small scale industries run by women all over India who cultivate crops and prepare food stuffs as per our stringent guidelines. When the crop is ready or when a certain product is in season we will provide intimation of availability
It is important that if you want to consume organic foods your mindset and behavior should also be organic. An organic lifestyle is to live in sync with nature (the changes in season, climatic conditions, availability of food products, etc.) It does not help to be rigid in food choices if you wish to eat organic. Organic living is about adapting to nature and not merely gratification of eating urges. You should be willing to accept these natural goods as and when they are produced by nature. Not when you want them. That is organic behavior. Thus, orders need to be placed in advance and delivery will be given whenever things become available.
WHAT IS DIVINE DIET
Spiritual nutrition (Divine Diet) is about eating the right foods at the right time that keep you healthy physically, mentally and spiritually by raising consciousness and elevating your energies.
Spirituality is a journey of awakening to who we really are. How we feel about ourselves and our body is directly reflective of how we nourish ourselves. The metaphysics of diet, spiritual nutrition, holistic healing, and wellness, is a spiritual process of combining nutrition with spiritual discovery.
Recognizing that our bodies, mind and spirits are undeniably interconnected leads to the understanding that what we do to one aspect of our greater selves will impact the others. A logical next step is to treat our bodies, including our diet, in a way that will affect the way we think and support our spiritual growth.
How we approach life and spirituality contributes to our overall well-being. How we relate to food is synonymous or equal to how we relate with life. Also how we ingest the food we eat and integrate it into fuel is symbolic to how we integrate the world into our psyches and into our being. Loving yourself is an inside job through looking at negative thoughts and ideas of self first. Once we heal these thoughts we will lean towards nourishment of self and nourishment of soul.
It is important to realize that the quality of food depends not only on the ingredients but also on the consciousness with which it is prepared. “SATVIK” Food served & consumed does not just bring contentment to the body but it feeds the soul. It brings out the best from within.
DiVINE DIET MEAL SERVICE
began with the idea of initiating and fulfilling a shift towards a healthy, wholesome life for busy career persons and even housewives who have too much on their plate already. Engrossed in the mundane routines of life, sometimes we let life pass us by, losing touch with our inner selves. We put our own nourishment and health on a low priority as we strive to take care of families or to achieve and succeed in the outer world. As we rush to meet deadlines, many a times grabbing a quick sandwich, bag of chips or chocolate bar seems like the most accessible and convenient option to satiate hunger. Needless to say, such erratic food habits lead to many serious health issues in the long run starting with benign symptoms.
But Divine Diet is here to fill the gaps by delivering essentials and attain balance. Ours is a complete package of the essentials designed to lead you to the goodness of life. A good life is one which is full of zest and is lived inside out. It is the ability to connect with our innermost selves and at the same time to be able to relate to the world outside. We work towards becoming that part of your life which leads you to contentment.
While in a hurry to catch up with the speed of progress, we end up losing out on the essentials of life. Which is why, we provide you with fresh meals prepared with love in a clean hygienic environment, to nourish mind, body and spirit which is instrumental for a wholesome life. Divine Diet wants to bring back the harmony and restore to you, what’s yours to begin with – The power to balance your energies and to live your life to the fullest.
At Divine Diet, we believe everyone has a right to eat fresh, wholesome food– even if you have a busy schedule. When you let Divine Diet prepare your meals, you can take one more thing off your plate. Here the food is prepared with fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, sprouts & above all with positive energy in a happy joyful atmosphere by women who have been trained by our Holistic Nutrition Experts.
Thus Divine Diet not only provides customized organic fresh meals for you, but at same time provides business opportunities for several underprivilieged women who make these meals for you.
With our home delivery service, we plan your weekly menu, shop for the local, fresh and organic ingredients, and deliver our freshly prepared dishes for you to enjoy daily. Simply choose the meal plan that works best for you, and we’ll do the rest.
Divine Diet offers convenient local home and office delivery of our fresh, home-made, organic meals daily.
FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR TO ORDER YOUR DIVINE DIET MEAL SERVICE
PLEASE CALL +91 9867716015
FEATURED STORY :: GURUMAA
This is the biography of a remarkable woman who started out as an ordinary housewife with a mundane life and domestic issues like most married women with kids; but who rose to an exalted spiritual stature as GURUMAA, who is now an inspiration to all. This is only to illustrate the profound change and transformation that NIRA can bring about in your life. Not everyone can become a GURUMAA, but each one of us can grow in our own way and be the best that we can be, elevating ourselves and thereby our society – one individual at a time.
Her name was Aruna. She came to NIRA as a simple woman disillusioned by life who was seeking answers to her questions about life and living; who always knew that her Divine purpose of being here on this earth was way more than she had discovered. From her very first workshop nearly 15 years ago, she showed exceptional understanding of dhyan, sadhana and the Universal laws. She was a sincere and devoted sadhak and rapidly elevated herself to the position of Acharya with her ardent spiritual practice and fervor. It almost seemed like she had an innate, intuitive understanding of Dharm. Very soon people started thronging to her discourses and satsangs. Owing to her gentle, kind demeanour and loving nature, they saw in her an embodiment of the Divine Mother. Her followers soon started calling her simply, “Gurumaa“.
Arunaji before coming to NIRA
A TRANSFORMED LIFE
Gurumaa, over the last 14 years, has worked miracles in the lives of thousands of people.
Gurumaa’s kind nature, sweet voice and non-judgmental attitude automatically attracts people to her and makes them open up about their problems. Her dynamic, magnetic personality combined with her deep knowledge and self-realized wisdom has enthralled audiences worldwide and positively transformed them. She has helped thousands of people overcome their sorrows and problems with her miraculous Divine Grace. Gurumaa is in fact a spiritual shortcut to instantly relieve and remove yourself from the burden of modern day stress and worries and experience True happiness and Inner Peace.
Gurumaa does not just preach from religious texts but explains the scientific aspect of our ancient Indian teachings. She also teaches you how to apply these teachings in your day to day life. She explains the difference between Religion and Dharm (Universal Laws). Her discourses are aimed at resurrecting faith and interest in those individuals who have been disillusioned by religion. She is a guiding light for those youths and even adults who are so lost in modern life that they have forgotten our rich values and traditions and find religion to be impractical. Gurumaa revives faith and spiritual fervor in people’s hearts by means of story-telling, humour, wisdom and soul-throbbing music.
Gurumaa Arunaji after coming to NIRA
Gurumaa’s workshops, discourses & programs address day – to – day issues faced by the common man – relationships, stress, parenting, health, diet etc. Some of her spiritual and social programs for general public include: Shrimad Bhagwat, Sampoorna Ramayan, Shivpuran, explanation of samayik & pratikraman, how to be stress-free in a busy life, health in the midst of pollution & adulteration, etc. Upon special request, programs such as Garbh Sanskar (blessing the unborn child in mother’s womb) and other Sodash sanskars can be arranged for private functions.
These programs are known to spread health, harmony, healing and happiness amongst people which is a great service to our society in today’s time.
Gurumaa’s programs can be viewed online on YouTube by clicking here.
TO INVITE GURUMAA AND REQUEST HER DIVINE PRESENCE AT YOUR NEXT AUSPICIOUS OCCASION PLEASE CALL 9819595900
NIRA’s group of capable volunteers have a varied experience in the social sector in the field of counselling and guidance, rehabilitation, health education, communication, capacity building and training, and implementation of development projects. We believe that every individual has potential in them. It needs to be recognised, nurtured and encouraged. One should be allowed to become their own person. With this not only will they benefit, but society too- by having matured persons.
It has been our goal to address at least some of the many pressing issues relating to children in the slum areas and underprivileged neighbourhoods of Mumbai and other cities within our reach. Of these education and adoption have been of prime importance.
EDUCATION:
NIRA has been working with local youth and children since 1997. The focus has been on education of disadvantaged youth and children. It was our aim to do something worthwhile for the education of the underprivileged. NIRA started providing interest-free loans to disadvantaged families so their children could study and even pursue higher education.
It has been a joy to see many children joining college and several of them getting a job. A small seed we planted many years ago is sprouting. If we have touched so many lives it was with the help and support of hundreds of our volunteers.
MASTER MIND PROGRAM:
Students are quite confused about selecting a particular field because today there are many options available for making a successful career. Students often fail to understand which field to choose according to their interest area. This is where an able and knowledgeable guide comes into picture. S/he is the one who helps them right from the first step in their career and stays with them throughout the process. Needless to say, right career choice is very important today as students have to face a cut throat competition.
Career counselling shows you the way to achieve your career goal and it is a vital part in any student’s career path. It gives updated information to the students about courses, institutes/colleges, job trends and career opportunities. Many times it is seen that students have potential and knowledge but because they don’t get the proper counselling then they couldn’t make up their career. MASTER MIND counselors provide career counselling to students for choosing the right course, right college and bright career. It provides a complete academic guidance in selection of career, course and institute in India.
MASTER MIND counsellors first understand student’s academic background and then they provide suitable academic guidance. If students have confusion in selecting a course, they are carefully guided by the counselor. On the basis of the interest, skills and inclination, the counsellor gives further suggestions to the students. Not only in the beginning, but MASTER MIND’s expert counsellors guide the students every step of the way.
For career counselling students can call +91-9967369063.
ADOPTION:
Every child deserves to grow up in a family, with love, respect & security. NIRA is committed to the care of children in need and to strengthening families and communities as a preventive measure in the fight against abandonment and social neglect. The aim & objective of NIRA is to help parentless, abandoned and homeless children by giving them a family, home and a strong foundation for an independent and secure life.
These disadvantaged children are also given complete medical intervention and vaccinations as and when it becomes necessary.
BALSANSKAR SHIBIR:
Every year NIRA organizes a special shibir for children.
Balsanskar is Nira Multiversity’s very unique and special workshop for children ages 5-15 years. Balsanskar is a complete one day course for mastering living arts, developing life skills, enhancing life scope and upgrading life styles. Balsanskar is based on inculcating the sacred ancient Indian tradition, values and culture in young minds. This workshop promotes the physical, mental, psychological and spiritual wellbeing of children.
Balsanksar is designed to gently guide young minds in the ancient Indian traditions of yoga, healing and meditation. In Balsanskar, all the aspects of one’s personality are developed utilizing an integrated curriculum that empowers the child to know oneself and develop the confidence and empathy to utilize knowledge for serving the society.
Special gift bags are given to the children filled with variety of goodies such as snacks, stationery and toys.
FREE FOOD CAMPS:
From time to time NIRA organizes free food camps to provide hot nutritious meals to children from poor families. The joy on those little faces after getting a fresh hearty meal is worth a million bucks!
NIRA’s groupd of capable volunteers have a varied experience in the social sector in the field of counselling and guidance, rehabilitation, health education, communication, capacity building and training, and implementation of development projects. We believe that every individual has potential in them. It needs to be recognised, nurtured and encouraged. One should be allowed to become their own person. With this not only will they benefit, but society too- by having matured persons.
It has been our goal to address at least some of the many pressing issues relating to youth in the slum areas and underprivileged neighbourhoods of Mumbai and other cities within our reach. Of these education has been of prime importance.
EDUCATION:
NIRA has been working with local youth since 1997. The focus has been on education of disadvantaged youth. It was our aim to do something worthwhile for the education of the underprivileged. NIRA started providing interest-free loans to disadvantaged families so their children could study and even pursue higher education.
It has been a joy to see many teenagers joining college and several of them getting a job. A small seed we planted many years ago is sprouting. If we have touched so many lives it was with the help and support of hundreds of our volunteers.
This initiative is designed to give youngsters the opportunities to improve their language skills, focus on developing their confidence, accuracy and fluency in situations related to potential fields of employment.
This social initiative has brought together youth who were in need of finances and tutoring and those who could contribute time towards teaching them or helping them financially. The learners belonged to different backgrounds. Some were children of leprosy sufferers, and their parents were originally beggars. They therefore lacked the encouragement to perform well at school or college. Some belonged to a lower middle-class background. Some were already working at the same time as attending the classes. There were women in their mid or late twenties who had very limited awareness of their employment options, possibly due to social restrictions they face.
YUVASANSKAR SHIBIR:
Every year NIRA organizes a special shibir for Youth.
Yuvasanskar is Nira Multiversity’s very unique and special workshop for youngsters between age 15 – 20 years. Yuvasanskar is a complete twoday semi-residential course for Youth Empowerment mastering living arts, developing life skills, enhancing life scope and upgrading life styles. This workshop promotes the physical, mental, psychological and spiritual wellbeing of the youngsters helping them to grow up into self-confident mature adults.
Yuvasanksar is designed to gently guide young minds in the ancient Indian traditions of yoga, healing and meditation.
NIRA organizes a number of different workshops and seminars from basic to advanced level, each designed with a specific goal in mind. Our various seminars and workshops are geared towards teaching practical, vital and necessary life skills for that age group or social group. These activities highly support Physical – Mental – Emotional – Spiritual balance and total well-being scientifically by combining “ancient wisdom and modern technology” for today’s modern world, uplifting human consciousness and bringing harmony, peace, unity, trust, happiness, Joy, love, self control, discipline, and devotion among the people.
MANTHAN WORKSHOP
NIRA’s Manthan workshop for older people is a unique experience. It is designed keeping in mind the older generation that has different level of comprehension, different values, skills and their own unique set of problems. This workshop instills a sense of dignity in the older folks and gently makes them aware of their own hidden strengths, skills and potential. It gives a new meaning to their life and makes them feel younger and useful. The nutritional and emotional needs of the elderly are different compared to youngsters. This powerful workshop provides useful guidelines for healthy living and healthy eating to stay energetic at an advanced age. Thus, this carefully designed workshop is bound to make every participant feel younger, happier, contented and more balanced in life.
Benefits of these workshops include relaxation, stress-relief, mind and body purification, faster and wiser decision-making, Stress & Time Management, better Life Arts and Living skills, Food awareness, etc.
During our workshops one-on-one guidance is provided to all participants on how to live their daily life and deal with day to day challenges. Each one is guided in the right direction to bring out their unique hidden potential and talents. For e.g how to perform better at what they do in daily life, how to relate with grandchildren, how to build stronger healthier relationships, etc
Apart from this NIRA also takes the initiative to vist homes for the aged (vridhdhashrams) and care for those neglected elderly persons whose family has abandoned them. This gives the forlorn, depressed elderly persons something to look forward to and cheers them up. This involves taking fruits, magazines and other gifts for them that they will enjoy, spending time with them, helping them pay the living costs at the Center, etc.
NIRA’s other social and humanitarian projects involve:
1. Collecting clothes and other life essentials from donors and providing them to the needy.
2. Organizing HEALTH CAMPS from time to time for those who cannot afford medical care. This project also promotes the importance of right living, right diet, and exercise. These health camps have benefitted thousands of individuals from all age groups over the past 15 years.
3. Feeding the homeless and poor under the RAM ROTI initiative
4. Special Health Camps for children.
5. Having Birthday celebration for children from poor families and slums .
6. Providing the farmers in our network with improved and good quality seeds for agriculture. Under this scheme hundreds of farmers have been distributed bags of quality & certified seeds for sowing.
It is NIRA”s mission:
– To provide spiritual and scientific guidance to farmers.
– To make them aware about depression and suicides as hateful practice, and to energize them with new hope in life.
– To liberate them from the evils of dowry-system, child marriage, animal-sacrifice and illiteracy.
7. Providing the basic needs of economically poor, the handicapped and destitute and making them independent through right work placements.
8. YOUNG FOREVER PROJECT:
Under this project it is NIRA’s intention to create awareness amongst people about the harmful chemicals used in modern-day commercial personal care products and cosmetics. To provide healthier options NIRA took the initiative to research and create natural, herbal, truly organic personal care products and cosmetics that are safe and harmless even for the most sensitive skin. Besides that these products are not animal tested and are eco-friendly.
All the natural raw materials are procured from their authentic sources and thus this project provides a means of livelihood to farmers and tribesmen and women in remote, underserved regions of the country who are instrumental in finding and bringing these materials to us. The manufacture of these products is assigned to small-scale industries and small-time businesses in villages thereby providing a boost to the local economy.
The YOUNG FOREVER products are unique in that they are customized and tailor-made for each person based on body type, lifestyle and individual needs.
To make an appointment for consultation with one of our experts please call: 9833553343