While most students are busy ‘liking’ each other’s statuses or chilling out in their free time, some are using the same time to make a difference in society. One such student is 19-year-old Roopini Mayur, a second-year student of Bangalore Institute of Legal Studies. Mayur is a part of Grameen Bazaar, an NGO, that aims at removing middlemen between farmers and consumers, letting them reap benefits without losing money to the interlocutors.
At Grameen Bazaar, consumers can order the produce online and the NGO takes care of the transactions and transportation. So, what is Mayur’s role? “I am one of the board members. We meet once a week and brainstorm new ideas. The founder’s plan for me is to bring in fresh ideas and a ‘young’ perspective on things. I was initially taken in as the media manager to promote the NGO. The first step in helping the farmers is creating awareness among consumers. Once they know that a portal is available to buy produce directly from farmers, I am sure the orders will pour in and that’s where I come in,” she says. “We need to promote the NGO and right now my focus is to bring in more youngsters to help promote it. I visit colleges all over Bangalore and hold seminars for students. We have quite a few volunteers. Apart from publicity, I handle some of the NGO’s legal aspects,” she says.
How did it all begin? “I always knew I wanted to do something different and contribute to society. When Santhosh Kumar, my neighbour shared his plan to start Grameen Bazaar, I begged him to take me on board,” says Mayur, who has been volunteering for two-months now.
— priyanka.rao@newindianexpress.com