Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service, Varanasi

Holy Mother said :

"My child, you have been extremely fortunate in getting this human birth. Have intense devotion to God. One must work hard. Can one achieve anything without effort? You must devote some time for prayer even in the midst of the busiest hours of the day.

Do the Master's work, and along with that practise spiritual disciplines too. Work helps one to keep off idle thoughts. If one is without work, such thoughts rush into one's mind."

Other Activities : Pecuniary help

The state of widowhood is at times a great calamity in a patriarchal and traditional society like India where there has been a tendency since yesteryears of marginalization of widows.

In Varanasi, majority of the widows settled in the town are from Bengal who have been seen as burdens on the household and encouraged to leave their homes to settle in the holy city of Varanasi till their last with the lure of attaining salvation. In reality, the precarious existence of the widows on the streets defies imagination.

On the whole, stricken with poverty and old age, they have to fend for themselves with medical care and clothing not provided for. It is by serving such sick widows that the work of the Home of Service was begun.

The Home of Service provides pecuniary help to about 200 such widows in form of a financial assistance every month which is disbersed against proper verification. On the 15th day each month, the widows gather at the office of the Home of Service for such pecuniary help.