C.M. Paul

Darjeeling — A group of city based college students from Siliguri plains reached the hills of Darjeeling district to their mother college campus at Salesian College Sonada (SCS) some 6,500 feet above sea level to help underprivileged people of a hills village.

The NSS unit of Salesian College Siliguri Campus (SCSC) held seven days work camp at Thapadhura, Sonada from February 13-19.

Sixteen National Service Scheme (NSS) Club members of SCSC trekked seven kilometers of mountain paths through hamlets and serpentine roads of tea garden in the hills to reach Thapadhura village after a gruelling two hour trek down a boulder strewn path which once was a motor able road.

The irony is, it is still the only road link for people to ravel by jeeps.

“After settling down in the village community hall, boys and girls along with two faculty members were divided into teams to prepare lunch and accommodation,” says Pooja Sharma a first time camper.

Following morning, second day, the NSS Program Coordinator Mr Sandeep Sundas organized students to pan out to the village to do a pilot survey of the people, their situation and assess urgent needs.

After the survey, students identified two houses in the village that needed urgent repairs. They belonged two widows one of them survived a stroke last October.

The stroke survivor lady’s ramshackle house was completely dismantled and stones which made up the wall and iron sheets of the roof were piled up to remake the house. While the second lady’s house needed minor repairs and afresh layer of mud plaster to cover the bamboo mat wall.

During mid-week the SCS Principal Dr George Thadathil paid a visit to the village to encourage students and local people especially the beneficiaries and assess the progress of the work.

As the sun was setting on the village, two groups of students were still mud plastering the bamboo mat walls of the old lady’s house on either side of her front door with their bare hands.

Meanwhile another two groups of students were mixing red mud and water with their hands to prepare the mud plaster.

“Though you look tired and famished, you will remember forever the help you were able to render to these less privileged people with your own hands,” said Dr Thadathil encouraging students.

Each evening after work and wash the faculty conducted two hour interactive session on the day’s activities and their learning experiences. On Saturday, the last day of the camp students and villagers put up a cultural show in which campers presented a skit on the evils of alcoholism to create awareness among villagers some of whom were alcoholics.

The NSS scheme launched in Gandhiji’s Birth Centenary year, 1969 is an Indian government- sponsored public service program conducted by the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Aimed at developing student’s personality through community service, NSS is a voluntary association of young people in Colleges, Universities and at plus two level working for a campus-community linkage.

Through the NSS programme student volunteers work to ensure that everyone who is needy gets help to enhance their standard of living and lead a life of dignity.

“The camp was eye opener for us. In doing so, we learnt from people in villages how to lead a good life despite a scarcity of resources,” said one of the student volunteers Rahul Agarwal.

Work Camps are held annually, and are usually located in a rural village or a city slum.

Volunteers may be involved in such activities as: Cleaning, Afforestation; Stage shows, street theatre, or a procession creating awareness of such issues as social problems, education and cleanliness; Awareness Rallies and Inviting doctors for health camps.

Special camps are also organised generally on various developmental issues of national importance such as ‘Youth Against Famine’, ‘Youth Against Dirt and Disease’, ‘Youth for Rural Reconstruction’, ‘Youth for Eco-Development’ and ‘Youth for Mass Literacy’, ‘Youth for National Integration” Social Harmony” and ‘Youth for Sustainable Development’ with special focus on Watershed Management and Wasteland Development.