THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:“You are making history,” said District Collector K Vasuki, addressing a crowd of volunteers in Thiruvananthapuram. For a week, the city is witnessing an unprecedented set of events, where a large number of people, unknown to each other, came together in support of a common cause, to volunteer in numerous collection centres for flood relief, across the city. Many, happened to know about the call for volunteers via social media, immediately responded and headed to the collection points.
Teachers, students, officers from different government departments, techies, shopkeepers and people from all walks of life are selflessly doing their bit in scores of collection centres across the city. From a 15-year-old boy holding a placard outside one of the collection centre, to inform the general public about the immediate requirements in relief materials, to an elderly person who is silently packing the relief materials in a corrugated box, each and every one, irrespective of their age, hand in hand, are actively involved on a mission to reach out to their fellow beings, affected by the devastating flood in the State.
“I spent my Bakrid in the collection centre. It is better than sitting back home and celebrating when the whole state is suffering,” said Nishitha KS, project engineer, Jalanidhi. Like many others, she first came to the collection centre to deliver relief materials, but soon got into the process, stepped forward and joined as a volunteer. She now coordinates stocks delivered to Nishangandhi, one of the many collection centres in the city. “It is true that everyone here is a stranger to each other, but that doesn’t pull us back. There is no procedure of registration. People from different places come here in the morning and take part in different tasks till midnight, sometimes it may go until 3 o’clock in the morning,” she said.
Creating history
There are no misunderstandings, disputes or any complaints among the volunteers. Each and every person knows what he or she is supposed to do.
“You will not find any sort of hierarchy among volunteers. Yes, there are few people to coordinate but basically each person voluntarily come forth to take on the tasks,” said Sindhu Joby, one of the volunteers at SMV High School.