The best way to be happy, is by making some one else happy... The joy and satisfaction that comes from giving, is unparalleled - especially, if the person receiving it is a truly deserving one. My moments of this ecstasy came during the Native Village Education Program, that I conducted in my native place Manipal, with the support from my company Honeywell Technology Solutions Pvt. LtdBackground:I have been associated with the Community Service wing of my companyfor over a year now. There are three tracks under this wing - the Medical Track the Education Track and the Native Village Adoption track. The purpose of the medical track is to provide free medical aid and facilities to those who cant avail of the same. These are carried out by conducting medical camps, blood donation camps, health and hygiene camps & special camps in the remote villages, where there is no access to medical facilities.
Under the Education track, we conduct activities ranging from scholarship programs for economically underprivileged children, donating mobile science centers, conducting teachers’ training programs, mentoring, donating computers, conducting science exhibitions and much more. Most of the times, we conduct these activities while we go the villages for the medical camps
Under the Native Village Adoption Program, an employee can make a difference in his/her native village by developing the basic amenities, infrastructure and education. Funds for the project will be shared between HTS Community Service Trust and the employee. The employee/s will be contributing 20% of the funds and rest by the CS trust, with a maximum limit of Rs 32,000. Development can be done from building the rooms of village school, tank cleaning, and bridge construction to road side tree plantation have benefited from this program.
My Native Village Education Program (NVEP):
I hail from a small village Parkala, in Udupi district of Karnataka. The district has a made a mark in the education field in Karnataka district, being one of the top three most literate districts in our state, with a literacy percentage of over 90%. But this record notwithstanding, there are several schools, where several bright students find it difficult to continue their education, due to economic constraints.
Encouraged by the support that the HTS CS wing provides the employees to help support education initiatives in our native villages, I conducted surveys, and discussions with the heads of five schools in and around my village. These are villages, and schools which have the maximum number of students coming from meager backgrounds. With the help of the heads of the schools, I identified some academically deserving students, whose families face deep financial crisis, which could threaten the future of their schooling, and conducted a merit-cum-need basis scholarship program for them, and distributed Rs 40,000 of scholarship among some talented poor students.
The schools i covered, were Manipal Pre University College, Manipal - my alma mater, where I did my high schooling and pre-uvinersity, Parkala High School, Shri ViShnumoorthy High School KoDibeTTu, U S Nayak High School, PaTla and HiriyaDka P U College. A couple of months back, when I been back to my native place to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, I had proposed this plan to the heads of the schools, and they had enthusiastically responded, by preparing the list of deserving students from their respective schools and sending them over to me. My parents made the job infinitely simple for me, by coordinating these activities locally, while I was in Bangalore.
The program was scheduled for 11th November 2007, when I had been back on Diwali vacation. It was conducted in the auditorium of my school, Manipal P U College. All (almost :-))the students, who were selected for being awarded the scholarships had been present with their parents and guardians. In the absence of my school Principal and Vice Principal (who had cooperated magnificently, but could not make it, due to other unavoidable commitments) my old Kannada teacher, Mr. Uma Maheshwara Hegde, helped me conduct the function. His experience and full support was a major reason for the awesome success of the program.
Although I knew the importance of what I was doing, to the benefiting students, the actual impact of it hit me, during that program. In my address to the students and their parents, I had encouraged them to think big, to make their own ways, where there weren't any, and strive to excel. It was an overwhelming experience to serve as inspiration to so many talented young girls and boys. The gratitude and desire to surpass that I saw in their eyes, as I distributed the scholarships, made that day one of the most memorable days in my life.
The occasion was graced by the councilor of Manipal Shri Devendra Prabhu, and teachers from the schools, who had come to see their students in their moment of glory. Many of my friends, who are also old students of the school were present, and for me, it was a double whammy, in the form of a reunion after a long time! My sister, who could not make it to the function, had supported me with her best wishes and by paying for the refreshments served during the program.
Special thanks to Senthil Kumar, one of the leads and the pillar of our CS wing, my parents who were the back bone of this undertaking of mine, and most of all, the Community Service Wing of HTS who helped me realize my dreams...
For me?? I want to continue inspiring...
Like Winston Churchill has very aptly said "We make a living by what we get... We make a life by what we give!"
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