Around 20 student representatives are managing the collection of relief material and spreading the word using social media platforms in an attempt to get more supplies. (Express photo)
It is 4 pm on a rainy Sunday but the office of the National Service Scheme (NSS) in Fergusson College is buzzing with activity. Since Saturday, the office has become a collection centre for Kerala flood victims.
Rather than spending a holiday with family and friends, a bunch of the youngsters were busy co-ordinating the collection of relief materials — clothes, blankets, biscuits, sanitary napkins and stationery items — carefully sorting out and packing them into cardboard cartons. The containers had been purchased by the NSS team.
Around 20 Student Representatives (SRs) are managing the collection of relief material and spreading the word using social media platforms, like WhatsApp and Facebook, in an attempt to get more supplies. The NSS volunteers are pleasantly surprised by the prompt response from the donors.
“We pasted posters on the college campus and also went to classrooms urging students to contribute whatever possible to help the lakhs of flood-affected people in Kerala. While we were anticipating that these contributions would start trickling in only on Monday, we were surprised to get a truckload of supplies on Saturday, which was immediately transferred to the Social Outreach Group of the college. On Sunday, too, people came forward to donate,” said Arpan Gajbe, one of the SRs overseeing the collection of relief material. While all departments of the college have promised to make some contributions, the Physics department came forward on Saturday itself.
“They have handed over buckets, mugs, mosquito repellents, blankets and biscuits. Other departments will be donating during the week. We will be handing over the collected items to the Jan Kalyan Sanstha, who will transport the items to different parts of Kerala, as per need,” said a student volunteer who is in the first year.
Asked about the quality of the donated items, a student said: “A few set of clothes were in bad condition and we have carefully sorted the items before packing. Bulk of the items is new, like blankets and bed sheets, which have been donated.”
Within the first 24 hours of the announcement for donation, 54 people contributed to the NSS camp, which the college students plan to keep open during the week.