National Service Scheme (NSS) IIT Kharagpur

The update in brief with images are as received from student Group Leader of the Unit. The activities are spread over two days: Saturday   and Sunday.Maths and spoken English is taught in first half of Saturday and Sunday while Computer Training is given in second half. There is also surprise visit done by selected Second Years to keep check on village Students’ regularity and effort. According to the feedback received from the students last semester, most of the village students enjoy Computer Training Sessions. Talks have been going on with various Energy Solutions related firms to provide subsidized Solar lights. Talked to Balaji Computers to buy secondhand Desktop in the price range Rs. 5,000/- to 8,000/-. Fund of Rs 4700/-   is available till date. In this month, we have been successful to get Electricity in the class room. The following village students showed marked improvement in performance: Kunal Hembram, Rajesh Mandi, Bhim Hembra...

This update is based on the report and document submitted by student Group Leader of UNIT 7. This team had the responsibility of conducting Phase-II of the cloth distribution. IIT Kharagpur campus community came forward in huge number and donated used clothes for the needy of our neighbourhood villages. NSS volunteers, mostly from UNIT 3 and UNIT 10 paid house-to-house visit and collected clothes soon after Durga Puja, 2012 festival break. The first phase of the cloth distribution was conducted on 5th December, 2012. A short report of that with pictures can be found here ( Link ). The second phase of the cloth distribution was conducted on 19th January, 2013 in Gangadharpur Primary School premises. This time clothes were distributed to a total of 183 registered persons and their family members drawn from  Gangadharpur, Shyamraipur, Debigoria, and Lachna  villages. Together with first phase distribution, the no. of beneficiaries  had been 360 persons and their fami...

We joined rest of the IIT Kharagpur community in celebration of Republic Day function. The flag-hoisting ceremony was held at Bidhan Chowk, in front of main building. Prof. N. R. Mandal, Director (Actg.), IIT Kharagpur unfurled the National Flag and inspected the parade. In his Republic Day speech he asked for introspection on direction we had set for ourselves after independence, what we are now and where we are going. Quoting Vivekananda he said that t hree things are necessary to make every man great,every nation great.  (i) Conviction of the powers of goodness  (ii) Absence of jealousy and suspicion (iii) Helping all who are trying to be and do good and that " No amount of politics would be of any avail until the masses in India are once more well educated, well fed, and well cared for. "  Both caution and optimism were conveyed when he quoted, " The road to the Good is the roughest and steepest in the universe. It is a wonder that so many succeed, no wond...

National Youth Day is held on birthday of Vivekananda. This year, it was 150th Birth Anniversary of Vivekananda. Besides NSS, other organizations like NCC, TSG, Campus schools came forward to celebrate the event. Campus residents, School children and NCC cadets also participated in rally along with NSS students with colourful posters and slogans. All the processions dissolved into Tagore Open Air Theatre where there was garlanding ceremony of Vivekananda. Director, IIT Kharagpur, Dean, SA and many other dignitaries paid their homage to Vivekananda. A cultural program followed where school students and IIT students participated together. There were song, dance, narration from Vivekananda's speech and letters. The program ended with distribution of a booklet 'Thoughts of Power' which has inspiring quotes of Vivekananda. In the evening, there was again remembrance of Vivekananda. It was held in Netaji Auditorium. Different aspects of his life e.g. his interaction with Ja...

We were sweetly surprised to receive a message on 11th January morning from Dr. H. Harish Hande, our alumnus and a social entrepreneur, Magsaysay Award winner of 2011. He was in the campus as Chief Guest of inaugural session of a conference. Earlier we tried to contact him based on the suggestion received in our Advisory Committee Meeting ( Link ). Dr. Hande gave about an hour in the morning where activities of NSS, IIT Khargpur were presented before him. In the second half, for more than an hour he visited the neighbourhood villages where NSS works and stopped at three villages. We received various ideas from him and he assured us to send more information and linkages. Attached in the right hand side a picture of this visit. Dr. Hande was talking about the condition of the kitchen where midday meal of the school is prepared and what can be done to reduce inhalation of black soot. Many of us listened to his inaugural speech in the conference. Starting with a lighter vain and the...

All are welcome in the 12th January rally, morning function at Tagore Open Air Theater (TOAT), evening function at Netaji Auditorium ... Vivekananda's life and teachings, songs loved by him, sung by him, composed on him, all presented by IIT Kharagpur students and our beloved campus school students (D.A.V. Model School and Kendriya Vidyalaya).  Processions start from four different points. NSS from Jnan Ghosh stadium at 8:00 AM, NCC from Gymkhana at 8:00 AM, Schools from respective places at 8:30 AM (NSS student volunteers will assist them), a part of campus community from the Park near Tentultala at 8:30 AM.  All are invited to join morning and evening function, any of the rally as convenient for them, and be part of the celebration which this year coincides with 150th birth anniversary of Vivekananda.