PDC Session in Perumbakkam – A New Beginning | 23rd Feb 2025
Personality Development Class (PDC) serves as the cornerstone of the Shiksha project by the Smile Welfare Foundation. Over the past two decades, this program has empowered over 7,000 students.
A hallmark of the PDC is the distribution of the Punnagai Palam Vazhikatti book, which serves as a personalized career guide for each student. This book facilitates the implementation of the techniques learned and facilitates the tracking of their progress.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the PDC, which is a physical in-person session, was suspended. Government restrictions on conducting such sessions in schools further limited our ability to expand the program.
Amidst these challenges, the idea of conducting the PDC session in Perumbakkam emerged from a unique experience involving a mother and her daughter.
The story began with a widowed mother who was determined to fulfill her daughter’s educational aspirations. After the passing of her beloved father, the family faced significant challenges. While the mother worked as a housekeeper, her children diligently studied with the support of compassionate individuals who covered their school fees and other necessities.
When the daughter entered her eleventh grade, she encountered our volunteer, marking the commencement of her journey with Smile. The volunteers provided personalized career counseling and guided her in securing tuition for subjects where she faced difficulties, preparing her for board exams. With the limited resources available, she excelled in her board exams, achieving an impressive 81% in her twelfth-grade examination.
While this may appear as an average score for the general population, when viewed from the perspective of these children, every day represents a struggle to make ends meet. Consequently, scoring 80% and above is a remarkable achievement. Our dedicated volunteer once again stepped in to guide her daughter through the intricate process of college admission. The daughter was eager to pursue computer science courses, but the substantial fees associated with an Engineering degree proved to be an insurmountable obstacle, even with the assistance of a bank loan. Determined to secure a Bachelor of Science degree, she diligently applied to numerous institutions in Chennai.
Madras University, renowned for its commitment to providing free education, offered a unique opportunity. They had allocated three free seats in each of their affiliated colleges, making it an attractive option for her daughter. Guided by our volunteer, she applied for this program, and based on specific criteria, such as children with scores exceeding 80%, children of widows, families with incomes below 3 lakhs, and first graduates, she was shortlisted and invited to attend a counseling session.
Amidst a long queue, she patiently awaited her turn. Her primary objective was to secure a seat at a specific college in Chromepet, and to her delight, she was awarded admission to the same college. This achievement represents a historic moment for both her and her mother, a testament to the divine intervention that guided them along the correct path.
This session at Perumbakkam was their idea, who sought to share their success story and raise awareness, guide the needy children in their area to seek help from Smile Welfare Foundation. They generously donated a set of pens to each student who attended the session, a small token of their support. Her mother expressed her intention to use the funds she had intended to spend on pens to contribute to the Hundiyal of Hayagrivar Swami temple. She believed that by offering this small act of kindness, she could bring a sense of fulfillment and happiness to God.
This initiative aligns perfectly with the profound teachings of Swami Vivekanandar, who famously proclaimed, “Service to Mankind is Service to God.”
With renewed energy, our team commenced the revision of the Punnagai Palam Vazhikatti book. The revised edition, published in 2025, presents a fresh perspective and incorporates the latest updates. To ensure the widespread availability of this valuable resource, we have printed 1000 copies. Furthermore, we are grateful to a generous sponsor who provided dairy products for students from their organization. Water bottles were donated by another sponsor. We reached out to the broader community and each child received a sponsor for this event, which initiated the event’s progress.
Propaganda and registrations were opened in an apartment community in Perumbakkam, and we campaigned to parents working there to send their children to the sessions. Consequently, we geared up for the event.
Our SMILE Volunteer team – Guna, Rajesh, Sundar, Bama, Ebenezer, Sheril, Anita, Kalaiarasi, Tamilarasi, Bhuvana, Balaji, and Sudha conducted the event. With our volunteers team,
- Students from Madras University – Condcuted Psychimetric test for 12th students.
- Student from Madras Christian College – Campaigned for PDC in Perumbakkam
- Sadhana alumni – Programme coordination
- Precision for Medicine team
- Parents
We successfully concluded our first PDC session at Perumbakkam, Chennai, instilling hope in the hearts of 35 students from humble backgrounds. All these students are the children of community helpers in that area, such as house helpers, security guards, auto drivers, and so on.