What is Parivaar?

Parivaar is a humanitarian service organisation, based in 24 Parganas (S), West Bengal, and at present is chiefly working through its Residential Institution for Education and Overall Development of erstwhile homeless and destitute children from categories like orphans, children of women in prostitution, street children, abandoned children, and other such highly vulnerable children at Parivaar Ashram, Village- Barkalikapur, P.O. Bakhrahat, District 24 Parganas (South), West Bengal. Parivaar Ashram is essentially a community of children and Resident workers whose only aim is to love and serve the children as their younger brothers and sisters. At present there are 310 children and 30 Resident (24 hour * 365) life-dedicated workers at Parivaar Ashram. There are 45 other daytime and part-time workers.

Starting from scratch and thereafter developed brick by brick, Parivaar Ashram is being continuously developed and moulded into a unique institution transforming the lives of each of its resident members (children and adults). At present, Parivaar Ashram’s Residential Institution for Destitute children has 310 children (both boys and girls) who have found a new life at Parivaar and are being prepared for bright future through quality education. Parivaar Ashram at Bakhrahat, about 30 Km from Kolkata city is spread over 3 acres (about 150,000 sq. ft) of land. At the Parivaar Ashram campus is also located Parivaar’s own Formal School ‘Amar Bharat Vidyapeeth’ in which the resident children of Parivaar study.

The Beginning

Parivaar was started by Shri Vinayak Lohani (an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta), who, inspired by spiritual and humanistic ideals of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, decided to devote his entire life for serving ‘Divine in Man’ as taught by Swami Vivekananda. Immediately after passing out of IIM in 2003, with just 3 children in a small rented building with almost no financial resources, Shri Lohani started Parivaar. Till the level of 15 children at Parivaar, he used to take some lectures for students appearing for Management examinations and through that could meet the expenses. Gradually people began to be inspired by this dedicated service and started to support this initiative and the number of children at Parivaar grew. At the end of 2004, Parivaar could purchase its own land to develop its permanent campus called Parivaar Ashram. Parivaar’s mission and theme began to attract dedicated youth, many of whom joined Parivaar Ashram as resident workers and began to become bearers of this mission. At present, Parivaar Ashram’s Residential Institution for Destitute children has 310 children (both boys and girls) who have found a new life at Parivaar and are being prepared for bright future through quality education..

Our Ethos & Inspiration

The total inspiration behind Parivaar’s mission are the spiritual and humanistic teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. The central theme of Parivaar is ‘Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva’ (to serve the Divine in Man in a reverential spiritual attitude, in a spirit of worship) given by Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.

Parivaar Ashram : Building of a Unique family

December ‘03 : Admission of 3 children at rented building at Bonogram near Thakurpukur, Kolkata.
June 30th ‘04: 59 children
Dec 29th ‘04: Purchase of land at Barkalikapur, Bakhrahat in 24 Parganas (South)
Dec 31st ’04: 67 children (all housed at Bonogram Centre)

June 30th ‘05: 110 children.
Dec 31st ‘05: 145 children.
June 30th ‘06: 200 children.
April 15th ‘07: 226 children.
May 15th '07: 250 children.
Oct 15th '07: 275 children.
Feb 15th '08 : 310 children.

The Road Ahead

Parivaar wants to continuously develop its cadre of dedicated Seva-vratis who can take vow of service and work in various neglected parts of India for our unserved brethren and bring light to their lives. Thus in the years to come similar full-fledged Seva-Ashrams shall be started in other places first in West Bengal and then in rest of India.