National Service Scheme (NSS) IIT Kharagpur

Over the last month, Ayodhyagarh Village Unit (UNIT 2) arranged for and carried out the collection and distribution of books and cloth for the children of the village school. Responsibilities were divided between collecting the materials for distribution, calling the students from their homes, identifying them by class and finally issuing the books. Children from classes 1 to 4 were covered. The volunteers of Rakhalgeria Village Unit (UNIT 3) took it upon themselves to try and impart some education to the school students beyond their mere school curriculum. They are trying to expose the children more and more to the world around them, and the kind of opportunities available if they pursue their education. They also introduced them to the concept of a computer and showed them some interesting things on the laptop screen, something most children there were seeing for the first time. Paschimpathri Village unit (UNIT 4) took a wonderful initiative to organ...

The tree plantation program of Ghagra village unit (Unit 14) was special in the sense that the volunteers provided beautiful fence around the plants. The Sonamulhi village unit (Unit 1) involved school kids in a unique way. Plants were named after class and were dedicated to class teachers. The school students were given the responsibility to nurture them for five days and on the sixth day (Saturdays) NSS volunteers will take care of them - watering, cleaning weeds etc. It would be interesting to see which methodology or a combination of them becomes most effective. The Soladahar village unit (Unit 15) participated in well cleaning and also got engaged with teaching assistance in the Sarva Shikhsha Kendra situated in the village. In general, every village unit has such supplementary teaching activity. All three units participated enthusiastically in the Independence Day program of the institute. Fencing of planted trees Involving school students and teacher Cl...

NSS, IIT Kharagpur expanded its reach in this academic session. The team members of UNIT 7 decided to move beyond our neighbourhood Gopali Gram Panchayat. This was  village Gangadharpur, Khelar Gram Panchayat, PO. Benapur. Their service is also available to adjoining village named Shyamraipur. In the words of a young student volunteer, "We felt it very difficult to ride bicycle for 6.5 kms. But after knowing that children  in that village go to school (higher) by travelling 5 kms on cycle / foot every day,  we felt pity for that." The team started the work very systematically. Since it was a new village to set foot in, a meeting with villagers were arranged in the village primary school on 29.7.2012. Panchayet Member and Panchayet Officer were very supportive, so were community leaders. Sixty four villagers attended this meeting. Activities were identified. The villagers welcomed IIT students whole-heartedly.  Since then literacy program in village school is goi...

Here is a glimpse of the month as it was for Kashijora Village Unit (Unit 13) since the academic session began in third week of July at IIT Kharagpur. Besides regular activity of engaging with village primary school students, the unit carried out a drawing competition to encourage talents among village kids, a special on games like Kho-Kho and Kabadi, a colourful awareness rally with posters and slogans where village school kids and young students of IIT Kharagpur walked together. The theme of the rally was health and hygiene. The posters and slogans depicted the importance of administering polio drops, the need for abstaining from intake of alcohol, smoking, consuming tobacco and the issue of prevention of spread of mosquito related diseases by the simple use of a mosquito net. The  dengue  fever and other diseases are prevalent during this monsoon time. The Unit participated in enthusiastically in Independence Day function ( Link ) and had their representation i...

NSS team played a supporting role in the Independence Day function of the institute where NCC and IIT security took the responsibility of the main flag-hoisting ceremony of the morning. After hoisting of national flag and singing of national anthem, our Director took guard of honour, conducted oath-taking and delivered his Independence Day speech. He reminded that IIT Kharagpur and the Bhakra Nangal Dam were two of the major initiatives to come alive after we became free in 1947. And the journey at IIT Kharagpur started from a jail where freedom-fighters were held captive. Since then the role played by this institution is immense and he gave a road map of what to come in future. We all feel proud to hear that and take a resolve on this auspicious day to shoulder our responsibility in the nation building work, being humble and sincere.  There was a cultural program after this where school children of campus schools made short but beautiful presentation of patriotic song-an...