The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Students lend a helping hand

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Wednesday, Sep 24, 2008
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Students lend a helping hand

Satyasundar Barik

They pack food material for flood-hit

Students will continue to abstain from classes for next two days
Hundreds of students start donating their day’s lunch

BHUBANESWAR: Skipping classes usually do not go down well with parents and teachers. But on Tuesday, nobody complained when Subash Ch. Ray, a student of city-based Unit-VIII DAV School, chose not to attend his classes.

Instead Subash along with 60 of his friends was present at Kalinga Stadium where they packed hundreds of packets containing food material and essential items, which were to be airdropped in flood-hit areas.

On Tuesday morning, about 100 student volunteers from Unit-VIII DAV Public School and Aragul College packed jaggery, candles, salt, match boxes and rice flakes and uploaded in trucks. From there, trucks moved to airport. Helicopters made regular sorties and dropped those packets in areas marooned by floodwater.

State is currently witnessing one of the most severe floods in Mahanadi River system.

Despite the fact villagers were prepared to face the disaster, they became helpless seeing the degree of devastation caused by this flood.

When dropping of food material started on Sunday, about 200 daily labourers were engaged to do the packing.

With students coming forward to lend a helping hand, these labourers could be diverted to other works at the time of emergency.

“When I heard about floods and its devastation, I wanted to help people who are starved.

The task of packing foods provided a perfect opportunity to contribute to relief works,” Subash said.

Similarly, Railway Scouts from Argul College rushed to Kalinga Stadium when they were informed about the assignment, which they could do. About 25 boys and girls were also seen stacking packets in trucks.

Priyanka, a college-going girl, said, “we were interested to involve ourselves in different relief works in marooned areas.

But when we were told that this was a risky job we confined ourselves to packing foods, which will be badly needed for those who have been inaccessible.”

These students will continue to abstain from classes for next two days as the State government would be intensifying relief operation and their help would come handy.

Nilamadhab Srichandan, a teacher of Unit-VIII DAV School who accompanied students, said this contribution now would certainly help students imbibe volunteerism.

According to reports, hundreds of students have started donating their day’s lunch for flood victims in order to show their solidarity during the time of calamity.

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