Saturday, January 21, 2012

bonding with poor and needy


Banding together for bonding with poor and needy



BHOPAL: If you thought students of engineering or other professional colleges hardly engage themselves in any activity beyond understanding the nuts and bolts of complex subject theories, think again. 
Each week on Saturday and Sunday, 20-odd engineering students step out of the college confines with a purpose. On two days of the week, the budding technocrats from the Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology band together to serve poor and needy. A routine they are following regularly for the past one year by launching a social outfit 'Rotaract'. "We divide ourselves into different groups. One goes to teach students in slum areas, a few others go to distribute clothes and utensils and other things of use," Rotaract member Shivendra Singh said. 

Way back in 2008, Prateek Pandey and Ishan Jain, two students of Production and Industrial Engineering, conceived the idea. From then onwards, they have volunteered for social causes. Of course, they were not alone. Their friends also chipped in by helping out in whatever manner they can. 

Their idea of serving is simple. They go to residential colonies of the city and collect what people usually discard. "We collect old clothes, books, toys, footwear and others things that most of us throw out. These things may not be of much value to us. But these things mean a lot for the underprivileged lot. And the response has always been spectacular and huge," said another member, Stuti Pathak. The group recently distributed old books and toys in Rachna Nagar. 

The stuff thus collected is taken to the slums and is distributed among the slum dwellers depending on need, said a member of the group. "We sort of serve as a link between those who donate give and the ones receiving the junked goods. We are more than happy to act as a link between the two," another member Santosh Meena said. 

They have not stopped at this. Rotaract provide free coaching classes to slum children of Rahul Nagar after their classes are over. "The residents there have also gone out of their way to offer support. Many children in slums have sharp mind and good grasping power. If tackled properly, these kids could turn out to be a highly productive force. One of the positives is slum children have started dreaming big and are gaining confidence," said Stuti who is also preparing for CAT exam.
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