Even as the public response has been less than enthusiastic to the city Corporation’s ‘Gift a Smile’ challenge to provide smartphones or tablets to students who do not have access to the same to attend online classes, Corporation workers and employees have been pitching in with all their might for the purpose.
The employees, under the aegis of the Kerala Municipal and Corporation Staff Union (KMCSU) and the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation Workers’ Association (CITU), have been since the beginning of May organising a ‘mundu challenge’ to generate funds to purchase mobiles or tablets for students.
The employees’ and workers’ unions have procured dhotis from weavers in Balaramapuram, which are being sold at a small profit margin, which will be used for purchasing mobiles or tablets. As on Friday, the unions have made profits of ₹3.5 lakh from selling dhotis.
“A majority of the Corporation’s workers and employees have become a part of the challenge, while a few from outside have also joined in solidarity. We are selling dhotis at prices ranging from ₹300 to ₹1,500. Due to the lockdown, the weavers in Balaramapuram were also struggling to sell their wares, and so this ‘mundu challenge’ was in a way helpful for them too. We started with an aim to raise ₹10 lakh from this. With the amount we raised now, which will be handed over to the city Corporation, phones or tablets can be bought for more than 50 students. Considering the demand for handloom saris, we have extended this campaign to be a ‘saree challenge’ too,” says Sureshkumar of the KMCSU.
According to the Corporation’s estimates, there are anywhere between 1,000 to 1,500 students at the school or college levels without access to phones or laptops to attend online classes. Mayor Arya Rajendran said that steps were being taken to rope in more institutions to sponsor mobile phones or tablets, as the response till now to the ‘Gift a Smile’ campaign initiated by the Corporation had been cold.
“Unlike after the first wave, there has not been a very enthusiastic response to this campaign. Until now, we have got 10 mobile phones and three tablets. Earlier this week, we opened a dedicated bank account for the campaign. We are planning to write to various companies and institutions to be a part of the campaign, using their corporate social responsibility funds. We will be handing over all the devices that we collect to the education department, which will be distributing it to the needy,” Ms. Rajendran told The Hindu.
Even though the contributions have been less, the demand has been steady. Councillors have been receiving calls from school as well as college students asking them whether it is possible to get a device for them. According to some councillors, they have received as many as 50 calls from their respective wards.
