As the city streets filled with women preparing their Pongala on Thursday, about 100 volunteers skimmed through the crowd, their walkie-talkies constantly cackling. They were guiding devotees, assisting those struggling in the heat, distributing water, administering first aid, and coordinating with ambulance services.
Their work did not end when the Pongala flames died down. Once the devotees returned home, these volunteers stayed back, cleaning the streets, doing their bit in restoring the city to normalcy.
These volunteers are members of an NGO named ‘Signature of Nishagandhi’. A camaraderie forged between volunteers at a relief collection point during the 2018 floods is what has blossomed into this social movement.
During the devastating Kerala floods, people from all walks of life had come together to help those in need. Relief camps and collection points were set up across the state, including a major volunteer-driven campaign at Nishagandhi auditorium.
The group’s journey of service began there. What started as an urgent relief effort soon grew into something more – a collective dedicated to helping people long after the floodwaters receded. Since then, ‘Signature of Nishagandhi’ has worked behind the scenes, stepping in whenever the city needed them.
“During the floods, our camp ran for nearly three weeks. We managed everything in an organised manner back then. When it was time to wrap up, there was a feeling that we shouldn’t stop there. After all, there was so much more to be done for the city,” says Abhiraj Unni, the founder of the organisation.
“That’s how the NGO Signature of Nishagandhi was formed. Even after six years, the fact that we still have over 100 active volunteers says a lot about our success.”
The group, which includes doctors, nurses, students, techies, and people from different walks of life, stays active throughout the year.
Whether it’s collecting surplus food from weddings, parties, and events to distribute among the homeless, arranging urgent blood donations through their dedicated network, or organising monthly cleaning drives and awareness programmes, they are just a call away.
“For this year’s Pongala, volunteers were deployed across four zones within a two-kilometre radius around SMV Govt Model Higher Secondary School. With six years of experience in volunteering, we worked on addressing previous shortcomings and found better ways to manage things efficiently,” says Abhiraj.
“We introduced walkie-talkies to improve communication. From guiding devotees on waste disposal and toilet locations to distributing drinking water and fruits, we ensured support at every step. Even after that, we remained on hand to assist devotees in reaching bus stops or arranging transportation. In several instances, we were able to step in and help even before the police arrived. It was success driven by teamwork.”
This year’s volunteering programme – ‘Ananthapuri Pongala 2025’ – was launched by Thiruvananthapuram sub-collector Alfred O V on Wednesday, Abhiraj adds.
“In a cost-effective manner and with the right use of human resources, we have been able to make a difference in society. And that’s the biggest reward for us,” he smiles.