One day, while sitting in my cubicle, I got a mail from our DC Head asking employees to volunteer for one of the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities. That interested me right away! As part of this CSR activity, we visited this one village in Karnataka and conducted eye screening test in a school.
As per the standard of procedure, the school was informed a couple of days before our visit. Hence they tried their best to have 100% attendance. In my first experience, I got to understand people closely. There, I witnessed two sorts of teachers. Some were extremely happy for their students that they won’t have to struggle with eye issues anymore. However, some murmured – “Why does it have to happen during weekends?” This bothered me, but I ignored them and focused on what I was there for. We completed the initial screening of students by categorizing their eye issues – severe, medium, and no issues. Irrespective of having the language barrier, I felt the joy of some students. The smiles on their faces were so lively. The parents were happy that their kids would now be able to read better.
We listed down the name of some of the students and took them to a hospital where a wide range of screenings was done. The doctor stated that some of them required surgery. I wondered – what if they had never done anything about it. The conditions could have worsened! We returned to our homes but my heart was still there, with those kids. I was eagerly waiting for the results.
Three months later, in one of the internal meetings, the Head of the group announced that the surgery of the enlisted students was complete. This gave me enormous happiness. I felt a sense of pride and that’s where my journey began as a CSR activist. I am glad that I took the decision that day to become a volunteer.
Since then, I have visited many villages to help people as a CSR activist. I remember we were once in a village where the source of income was through animal husbandry and with a scarcity of water, they were not able to cultivate anything. So, we ordered fodders from other states and provided them to every family residing in the village with cattle. We did this on weekly basis. We also created a small pond for peacocks to drink water. One of my fondest memories is when we went to one rehabilitation center to take care of dancing bears. We provided food, cleaned the cages, and made some activity items for them.
Today, MNCs have money to contribute but lack manpower, and some people are willing to contribute but lack money. So why don’t we combine all our resources and assist people who need them! I am trying my bit to make it a little better place for those who are in need and I urge others to come forward and assist them by becoming their firefly.
Total Work Experience : 4.11 years