Amrita Giri Centre for Rural Development and Education (AGCRDE) near 7-Mile Bazar, Namkhana is a home away from home for the children of Namkhana. The corridors of the Centre resonate with the sounds of music, and the laughter of children while they go about their routine. Education and extra-curricular activities for the all-around and holistic development of the children are the focus of this Centre.
The Centre is the brainchild of the Giris’ who are parents to Amrita, God’s special child. The Giris’ not only dared to dream, they worked relentlessly towards their goal of making it a reality.
Sri Giri a retired Central Govt. Officer (Indian Statistical Service) and his wife Smt Giri a retired officer from Coal India Ltd shifted base to their Native village Namkhana Island, 24 Parganas (South), West Bengal after retirement. AGCRDE was conceived by the Giris’ in 2019 after their superannuation and is run from their own savings and through funds from the Trust managing the organization. This is their unpretentious way of giving back to society.
For the students, Minakshi Giri is the mother away from home, who keeps a watchful eye on each student and nurtures them whereas Bimal Giri is the silent force behind the scenes whose focus is on developing the infrastructure and associated facilities further.
For the young ones, there are forever new opportunities at the Centre, to give wings to their dreams. Computer literacy classes have begun and efforts are being made to provide online English and Maths classes from Kolkata.
AGCRDE has played a significant part in empowering the women of the region that is the surrounding villages of Bakkhali, Namkhana. They have now embarked on a new endeavor that is imparting training in sewing and stitching to the local women. The charitable activities of the centre briefly includes: special tuition (day & night), drawing, dancing, yoga, tailoring, computer and distance learning, apart from a homeopathic clinic for treatment local people.
AGCRDE hopes to be a bridge to a better life and better opportunities for the people of the Region. The aim is to enable those at the bottom of the economic pyramid with skills be it technical or vocational so that they and their future generation can earn a livelihood with dignity.
