It's a unique campaign started a year ago. Students of TISS Tuljapur campus skip a meal every Saturday and distribute the food saved among kids in orphanages. Students of Madras Christian College, Chennai and St Stephen's, Delhi too have now joined the campaign.
What does it take to help the needy when you don't earn even a penny? Most of us would struggle to answer this question. But seven undergrads at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Tuljapur campus, thought up a simple idea, skip a meal.
Arpan Roym Parnika Madar, Mukund Jha, Rahul Sathe, Tanay Mohan, Nalini Chaubey and Pallavi Kashyap, all from the 2012 BA batch, who stay in the hostel, decided to skip a meal every Saturday in order to provide someone who deserved it more.
It took them two weekends to zero in on two orphanages-cum-childcare centres—Tuljabhavani School and Tuljai Balgrah in the distant village.
Arpan Roy says: "Our hostel menu is rich—includes eggs, lentils, vegetables, rice and sweets. We have unlimited food three times a day. The weekend lunches are more elaborate, and a large amount is wasted. When we visited these orphanages, we realised that less than a kilometre away, there were children getting along with simple curry and chapatis. They perhaps have never had a good meal!"
It wasn't difficult to take a decision. With the permission of TISS officials, they started taking their share of food to the kids in the two orphanages. Their initiative soon went viral and gradually more than 320 students of the 450 in the campus joined in. The campaign recently completed a year.
The TISS youngsters now also teach the orphanage kids English, post lunch.
"Children eagerly await the arrival of the TISS bus, more for the company than the food," said a person in the orphanage.
The campaign, which started at Tuljapur taluka (Osmanabad dist of Maharashtra), the home to Tulja Bhavani temple, is now proving to be an inspiration for students in metro cities. Students of Madras Christian College, Chennai and St Stephen's College, Delhi too have started similar campaigns.
Josna Valsakoseth, a second year BA student of MCC, who is one of the volunteers, said: "Over 50 MCC students skip a meal every weekend and distribute the food saved among the poor in local railway stations and markets."
Stephenians do it only once a month, with 250 students skipping their meals and distributing the food among the homeless and TB patients near Kashmiri Gate Flyover.
Lauding their effort, Prof Abdul Shaban, deputy director of TISS campus, said: "On weekends, when many people in India organise feasts or go for picnics, these students spend their time with the underprivileged. I wish this campaign became a national campaign."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}