The inception of Hope - story of CSR

“The wise man said just walk this way
To the dawn of the light
The wind will blow into your face
As the years pass you by
Hear this voice from deep inside
It's the call of your heart
Close your eyes and your will find
The passage out of the dark………”

These lines from a famous song from a German rock band Scorpions signify the transformation of the voice of our heart to the action to combat some problem. The thrill and satisfaction which we get after conquering the same by following our heart is greater than anything else in the world. After all, not always do we get an opportunity to listen to our heart.

It was on the 12^th of November 2009, when I and my friends (Bigyan, Krunal, Gaurav and Priya) were contemplating over some of the themes for grACE- the magazine of the ACE Club. Among the gamut of themes, finally ‘the irresponsible youth of the 21^st century’ was the theme which we thought of incorporating for our magazine. The theme portrays the evident reflection of ourselves and hence appealed to us the most. Now that the theme was finalized it wasn’t a Herculean task to imagine ourselves and accordingly design the cover page. Bunking lectures, hanging around in college canteen, watching movies at multiplexes, biking at night and lastly but by no means the least - our addiction to Facebook (especially updating the status even from the remotest corner in the world!!) etc are the major activities among our quotidian routine. And suddenly the discussion just took an unexpected turn. The following is an excerpt from our discussion:

Priya: You know what…Born and brought up in a very comfortable and secure environment, where anything we wish is at just made available at our demands; we are all mostly unaware of some of the lesser privileged sections of the society…

Bigyan: In my schooldays I and my friends used to teach some underprivileged children.

Krunal: That is really something noble. For our theme we can do the same... I mean, we can go to Gram Panchayat types of schools and spend some time with them.

Me: Holy yes man… And the theme would be known as metamorphosis – the transformation of youth – responsible from irresponsible…

Bigyan: That sounds really good... hey, but wait a minute... Why not go there and actually teach such students something about computers. We can call this activity as CSR (Club’s social responsibility) just like the corporate social responsibility…

Gaurav: That means metamorphosis in true sense… amazing!!!…

And magical were those words that brought the feelings experienced never before. Everyone was charged up, as the discussion begot one of the most splendid ideas that we ever thought of. It was the voice from our hearts and I was realizing the beauty of the aforementioned lines from the Scorpions. The song was resonating in my mind and there was absolutely no way I could get rid of it. Often I used to day dream about contributing something to the society or for that matter my country in whatever manner I could. And teaching the underprivileged students was just what I wanted to do. Thoughts of ‘what am I going to do when I will meet them’ started to fill my mind. Similar was the story of other friends of mine.

Meanwhile, we wanted to take an interview of Principal Madam, so we went to her cabin to seek an appointment for the same. We then narrated the concept of CSR to her. Madam quoted her optimism in her reply: - “Some of the students from Panchayat Samiti School at Wanadongri are going to perform at the inaugural event of ICETET. We are in turn providing them with financial support in terms of blackboards, books etc. But nothing can be as righteous as imparting your knowledge to them”. Her tacit approval raised the bar of our enthusiasm. All our anxieties drowned in the abysmally deep ocean of euphoria as we were being appreciated and supported for our noble endeavors. After ICETET, we took the address of that school from our dean Prof Mahajan Madam and went there to get the permission from their head. Next, we began the hunt for the volunteers. And as expected we got a great response. As the days were slowly passing by we were able to see our dreams turning into reality.

On the 13^th of January 2010, finally our dream and the day united and we went to the school to take an initial screening test. I was a bit unfortunate because of my absence due to some other engagements, but nonetheless happy. My friends recounted their experience and showed me some photographs. I could clearly see the light of hope in the eyes of those little innocent children. Hope of being able to walk hand in hand with the more fortunate and the elite sections of the society. Hope of a better tomorrow which they deserve. And it made me even proud when I could see my friends getting transformed into the angels of hope. And truly that day marked the inception of hope and metamorphosis. The transformation was visible on both the sides. Carefree and easy going youth of yesterday are showing concern towards social issues that are worthy of serious consideration. And on the other hand little innocent children are getting a chance to pursue their dreams.

Today CSR is a huge success. More than forty volunteers are diligently involved in the activity. We have got sponsors for the same too. We have devised a certification course for three months for the children which has commenced from 18^th of January 2010. We are distributing free books and CDs to the children. A proper exam at the end of the course is planned and the toppers will be felicitated. Most importantly the reception from the children is great. The little ones, who were once frightened to touch the computers as they thought it could harm them, are now taking great interest for the same. I could never even in my wildest of dreams imagine such a beautiful response from them. Just imagine what would happen when millions of college students pledge to take the initiative to teach the impoverished children? The term ‘illiteracy’ would seem to be an alien word. It just takes an iota of courage to go beyond the gates of practical hardships to follow your heart. And trust me friends nothing can be as divine as being a guardian angel or a source of hope for someone desperately in need of the same. Better try and experience……

Pic of the month

Captured this full moon pic on holi.. :)