The Preparation

For most of our team members, it is completely a new world of experience to work on socially relevant projects undertaken by NSS, IIT Kharagpur. We know that our enthusiasm, zeal, desire to put us at the service of the less fortunate need to be supplemented by adequate preparation. Besides planning and execution of the plan, we need to keep in mind the ground reality, social stratification and take the community

along with us - not to make them feel that something is thrust upon them. It needs patience, it needs perseverance, a purity of purpose, and a love for the community the way they are - encouraging them for the good practices they follow and working with them on issues where they can do better and where we can contribute humbly. We remember what the word 'Service' of National Service Scheme (NSS) stands for - it is, kindness put into action.

As we are now in preparatory phase of upcoming blood donation camp and many other special activities across units, this post presents some of the input received that shows what kind of preparation went into the successful conduct of the thalassemia detection camp reported in previous post (Link).

NSS team was first made aware of the possibility of such camp by a senior faculty from larger IIT Kharagpur family. We talked to the key members of the thalassemia detection organizing team from Midnapore and then had internal discussion among NSS faculty. We invited the key person from Midnapore and he came in last NSS Annual Camp (Link) that was held at the end of last semester and addressed NSS student team on this.

In the new semester, we first selected one of the three high school served by NSS team. This camp was meant for students of Class IX and above. The NSS team brought the organizing team from Midnapore for awareness drive among students in one Saturday. NSS faculty, student volunteers and headmaster of the school too talked to school students. There was a quiz program organized on that day. There was posters encouraging young students to come out of fear. Prizes were distributed. A popular Bengali daily, Anandabazar Patrika reported this.

This was a locality where guardians too need to be made convinced before such test was conducted so that there was not any issue later. Consent form for guardians were prepared. School authority kept announcing it in morning prayer assembly for days.

With a reasonable number of consent arriving from the guardians, the NSS team got in touch with the Midnapore team. The date was decided to be 1st March, once the mid-sem. exam. of our students are over. Other preparations like arranging snacks were less of an issue and we had a successful camp as had already been reported.

The report does not end here. While the 1st March camp was going on at Talbagicha High School, the NSS Program Coordinator called a senior faculty of another High School which NSS serves. He came, saw the enthusiasm, met the Midnapore team and a plan was afloat to conduct such camp at Chattisgarh High School soon.

Some of the students of Talbagicha High School who went through the test were in all smile and readily agreed to our proposal to visit the other school and tell students there, that there is nothing to fear and it is for our own good.