Akash Bafna was reserved and an individualist. He never socialised and did not participate in any social activity. “Just when I wanted to change myself, I was introduced to YUVA Ignited Minds as part of Jain University’s orientation. That is when I decided it was time to change,” says Akash, a final-year BBM student at Jain University Centre for Management Studies.
The metamorphosis of Akash from a spendthrift to a concerned human being became evident. “Now, I think before spending on anything. I started saving my pocket money and learnt to share things with others. I used to celebrate my birthday with friends but I have cultivated celebrating it in orphanages, by donating food to them,” Akash says.
Taking part in ‘No Litter By Me’ and ‘No Honking’ campaigns are Akash’s memorable activities. “In the litter campaign, we visited nearly 50 schools and interacted with 60,000 school children. It was an awareness programme on littering. In the other one, we had conducted a rally from V V Puram National Ground to Freedom Park. These two events had the most impact on me,” he says.
The young social worker also mentions Drustri, a medical camp that he was a part of recently. “I saw poor people suffering and fighting for their lives. They were unable to get proper medicines for their diseases.”
Most of Yuva’s programmes are held on Sundays. “So I haven’t had any problems in managing studies and participating in Yuva’s activities during the last three years. Going forward, I want to educate people and empower them,” Akash said, making it clear that he wants to continue serving the underprivileged.
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