Being Connected

NSS Day Function

We are happy to announce the date of NSS Day function of this year as 05th Nov., 2011 (deferred due to Mid. Sem. exam.).  The 3:00 hour long function at Kalidas Auditorium starts at 4:30 PM and will briefly present on-going NSS activities, award of scholarship to meritorious village / slum school children NSS, IIT Kharagpur serves (sponsored by senior students of the institute) and a cultural function jointly presented by NSS volunteers and the community they serve. We invite the community to participate in this with family and inspire the young student volunteers.

NSS, IIT Kharagpur volunteers in Youth Leader magazine

We are happy to bring to your kind notice that NSS, IIT Kharagpur and its two lead volunteers featured recently in Youth Leader Magazine, India. Youth Leader is an official United Nations project and holds four UNESCO status. "The magazine covers exquisite, high-quality achievements in India. The magazine's aim is to motivate and inspire the young generation for a positive and healthier life; to train them to develop into more social and environmental conscious adults." The link to the article can be found here (Link). The magazine says,

"National Service Scheme(NSS) is an extension to higher education system by involving students in community service activities during the course of their studies. It was started on September 24, 1969 in 37 universities across all states. Headquartered in New Delhi, NSS now has more than 2.6 million volunteers spread over in 200 universities, polytechnics and +2 systems. The motto of NSS, “Not Me But You” states the need for a democratic living and a selfless service. Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur is one of the institutes where NSS is actively functioning. An interview with two of the students of IIT Kharagpur involved with NSS, SagarSarkar and Srichandana reflects on the good work being done by the scheme and it’s members for the community. These students have recently received certificates for their volunteer work at NSS during the National Youth Week Celebration at IIT Kharagpur.NSS celebrates January 12, Swami Vivekananda’s birthday as National Youth Day and the week 12th-19th January as National Youth Week(NYW). National Youth Week is a nationwide celebration involving the youth belonging to the age group of 12-25. It is an opportunity for young people toshare ideas and celebrate their contribution to the community."


Editorial of NSS, IIT Kharagpur Newsletter, Oct. 2011 edition

The student editor draws attention to something not-so-obvious, yet so very important. The newsletter can be downloaded from here (Link). It will soon appear in IIT Kharagpur's NSS Newsletter page http://iitkgp.ac.in/nss/newsletter.html

We Indians love to wear patriotism upon our sleeves. Be it the over enthusiastic rooting for our cricket team or foul mouthing the hostile neighbouring nations, we never miss a chance to make a show of loyalty towards our country. And why not? Patriotism is defined as a deep love and support for one’s country. But there’s something we are missing in interpreting that definition. Amongst all that cheering and proclaiming our affection for our nation, we somehow consign to oblivion the state of our brothers and sisters inhabiting the same motherland- the people who share the same country and its glorious history yet somehow stalled by the cruelty of times, languishing in the cradle of poverty and wretchedness, their dreams obscured by the anxiety over the availability of their next meal.

But we dare ask, isn’t serving our fellow countrymen a bigger form of patriotism? Isn’t giving them their fair share of happiness and future only helps in the progress of our own dear country? We don’t need to delve deep into the fact that the advancement of a nation is largely dependent on the overall standard of life i.e. GDP of its citizens who as a matter of fact include all the homeless and poverty stricken people who share the same nationality as us. It’s not just a duty to our nation but to humanity as a whole to make sure that we give what’s due to them for long, not the hollow promises and the occasional doles but a real meaning to their life.

This nation calls for service to its ailing sons and daughters, it clamours for justice and parity, a minimum standard of life no one is deprived of. We, being a part of NSS have been handed the larger role in ensuring the same. Our job doesn’t start on Saturday morning and ends by its evening but it continues for 24X7. Identify the problems. Take initiatives.  Include others. The road ahead seems daunting but at least we can try whatever we can and hope others emulate us too. Making a difference to the life of someone less fortunate than you is the need of the hour. The real patriotism starts from here.