Seva Mela begins, aims to raise awareness on key issues

CHENNAI: “I hope this Seva Mela continues to make a change in society where the same ambience and atmosphere of trust and camaraderie prevails,” Minister ‘Ma Foi’ K Pandiarajan said at the inaugural function of the ‘Seva Mela’ which was organised at Lady Andal school grounds on Saturday.

The Minister for Tamil Culture and Tamil Language and Archaeology spoke of how the initiative aims to bring together social workers, corporates and volunteers under one roof to create awareness about a variety of causes. These causes include women empowerment, child development, rural development and education.

The Chief Guest for the occasion NK Ranganath, CEO of Grundfos India elaborated on the need for corporates to go beyond just providing money to Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) but rather being an active participant in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) process.

One of the highlights of the event apart from the stalls was that of the wish tree that was installed on the sidelines of the Mela. Visitors could go, take a look at the wishes and choose whichever one they wanted to fulfil. The Seva Mela had over 85 stalls with nearly 100 NGOs participating from across the State showcasing their work and products. Those interested can visit Lady Andal school between 10am and 6pm on Sunday.

The carnival-cum-exhibition is an initiative under the Daan Utsav week (earlier called Joy of Giving week) which is considered the ‘festival of giving.’ It has been curated with an objective to build a bridge between society and social causes that need attention through a series of interactive and fun sessions.