New Delhi, Jun 11: Pregnant women should chant 'Sunderkand' and read epics like Ramayana to have mentally and physically sound babies, Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said on Sunday.

Soundararajan, who is also a gynaecologist and fetal therapist, made the remarks while launching 'Garbha Sanskar' programme of an RSS-linked body.

Under the 'Garbha Sanskar' programme developed by Samvardhinee Nyas, doctors associated with the organisation will provide a mix of "scientific and traditional" prescriptions to expectant mothers so that they give birth to "sanskari and deshbhakt" babies.

These prescriptions will include reading of religious texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, chanting of Sanskrit mantras and practice of yoga.

The process will start from the pre-conception to delivery stage and continue till a baby attains two years of age. Family members of the expectant mothers will also be guided during the programme, according to the 'Garbha Sanskar' module launched virtually.

Samvardhinee Nyas is a wing of Rashtra Sevika Sangh, a women's organisation that parallels the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Addressing the virtual launch event, Soundararajan appreciated the efforts of the Samvardhinee Nyas in developing 'Garbha Sanskar' programme module and said implementation of this "scientific and holistic approach" towards pregnancy will "definitely" yield positive results.

"In villages, we have seen expectant mothers reading Ramayana, Mahabharata and other epics as well as good stories. Particularly in Tamil Nadu, there is a belief that pregnant ladies should learn Sunderkandam of Kamba Ramayana," she said.

Chanting of "Sunderkand" during pregnancy will be "very good for the babies", she added.

"Sunderkand" is a chapter in Hindu epic "Ramayana", which depicts the adventures of Lord Hanuman and his selflessness, strength, and devotion to Lord Rama.

Soundararajan, who is also Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, noted the scientific approach towards pregnancy is to prevent the complications during the period but holistic approach towards pregnancy would help pregnant women give birth to healthy and sound babies.

Practice of yoga during pregnancy will take care of physical and mental wellbeing of both the expectant mother and the baby in the womb and eventually help in normal delivery, she said, highlighting the significance of motherhood and the importance of the 'Garbha Sanskar'.

Addressing the event, Leena Gahane, co-head of the intellectual wing of the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, appreciated the launch of 'Garbha Sanskar' module on the occasion of 350th death anniversary of Jijabai ji and hoped that its implementation will bring "next generation with qualities like Shivaji Maharaj".

Jijabai, referred to as Rajmata, was the mother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire.

The 'Garbha Sanskar' programme will be implemented across the country by the doctors associated with the Samvardhinee Nyas, according to a senior functionary of the organisation.

"For this, we have divided the country into five regions and in each of the five regions will have a team of 10 doctors who will implement the programme. Each of these doctors will start with taking up 20 cases of pregnancy in their respective regions," the Samvardhinee Nyas functionary told PTI on Saturday.

An eight-member central team has been formulated to guide and oversee the implementation of the 'Garbha Sanskar' programme. The central team comprises ayurvedic, homeopathy and allopathy doctors and a "subject expert", she had said while sharing details about the programme.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Mangaluru: White Doves Psychiatric Nursing and Destitute Home in Kulshekhara was witness to another heartwarming moment on Sunday. A mother, who was separated from her children for last 14 years due to her mental illness, was finally reunited with them.

In 2009, Corrine Antoinette Rasquinha, the founder of White Doves, received information about a mentally ill woman who was in the streets of Mangaluru. She brought the sick woman to her nursing home and provided necessary psychiatric treatment. Despite all her earnest attempts, Rasquinha could not find much about the mysterious woman, as is normal in many such cases. Farzana, the sick lady, could only say that she was from Maddur and her house was near a butcher's shop.

As there are lot of places with similar name, Rasquinha and her dedicated team at White Doves couldn't really locate the village or the family of Farzana. Despite the lack of clarity, the institution had sent people to different locations to find the woman's family. All attempts were in wain, until 2024.

After 14 years, Farzana was finally found by her family in Maddur of Mandya district. Asif, her son, got to know that his mother was at a nursing home through an acquaintance. Along with his wife and children, he came to Mangaluru to take his mother home.

Asif said that the family members had kept up their search to locate his mother for many years. When Farzana disappeared in 2009, Asif and his sister were very young. "My sister hadn't seen my mother at all. Now we are very happy that we have got her back", Asif told Vartha Bharati.

"We found Farzana in 2009. She couldn't give us any proper information then. We had lost all hopes about her going back. Two weeks ago, we reunited a woman from Maddur in Mandya with her family. We had informed them about Farzana. With their kind help, we could now reach Farzana's family", Corrine Antoinette Rasquinha said.

When she left home 14 years ago, Farzana was a young mother with two small kids. Today, she has aged prematurely and her kids are all grown up; they are married and have kids themselves. When Farzana, unable to identify her adult son, drew his three year old son into an embrace, mistaking him for his father, there were a lot of moist eyes around. Now she has set sail to her long lost home with a family that has vowed never to lose her again.

Get all the latest, breaking news from Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada in a single click. CLICK HERE to get all the latest news from Mangaluru.