We'll give M.F Hussain a run for his money

The whole semester has passed by so fast that even the holidays are unplanned for. But it has been a productive semester so far , productive in every sense of the word.

It started with resuming the Prerna classes. Then came the Blood Donation Camp which became a great success followed by the surveys for pilot of a big project called 'SEED- Stimulating Education and Enhancing Development' which is sponsored by PAN IIT alumni and then implementation of the paper bags project - Polythene Free Campus. 

Well , after so much activity we decided, to have a break. To do something which would refresh our minds and prepare us for another semester. Finally we came up with an idea of conducting an Art mela.

We booked the open air theatre for the morning. Sahith ,secy of the Fine Arts section and Jaya Khanna, winner of all three prizes in Fine Arts Section during Shrishti'08 of the Hobbies club, were the judges of the event. To our surprise even the nocturnal IITians along with school cildren from near by villages turned up at the venue on time. Open air theatre was the set for our 3 hrs of fun and frolic with the colors. Some of us painted landscapes, some painted events and others followed up with abstract art. Sahith and Jaya Khanna had a few words of appreciation for the amateur artists .

The meet ended on a high note with prizes distributed to children. While distributing prizes I felt great in seeing happiness in the winners eyes.But at the same time when I saw the big crowd with sad faces for not getting prizes I felt a small pinch in my heart, which gave me a silly thought 'why we are distributing prizes to only some, why not to all'. All of us posed for photographs .

Many of us held crayons for the first time were now confident that drawing could be done even without a scale. Well Hussain saab Bach ke rehnaa, hum aa gaye hain .

NSS at your doorstep

A biographer once asked Napoleon about the secret behind his success. Then came his famous quote "I don't wait for the opportunities to come knocking on my door. I create opportunities".

NSS at IIT Roorkee is trying to ban plastic bags inside the campus. We learnt that a similar project implemented in Haridwar encountered a lot of opposition from the vendors. So, first we approached the main sources of plastic bags, the fruit chatwallahs and the canteen. We learnt that they had an usage of about 500 bags per day. 500 bags per day! This was no mean task. We had to provide for so much newspaper each day. 

Now, I don't know what Napoleon would have done about this but we launched a drive to collect newspaper from the students. Volunteers were allotted to the hostels where they knocked at the doors of each and every resident of the hostel. The timing was perfect, the nocturnal IITians wake up at noon to have their lunch and there was a volunteer at his door.

We collected newspaper that would suffice the production of paperbags for 2 months and then there would be another drive. We would remain indebted to all the students who took part in this great cause either as a volunteer who took all the trouble to go to each and every room in the campus or as a donor.

A survey - An action - A result

Namaste,

Many times we say our education system is wrong, Govt. is not doing anything for betterment of education, Govt. schools carry no standards, Teachers in Govt. schools are not interested in teaching or they don’t know teaching, this and that and etc., etc.

Yes, almost the above lines are right. But Govt. is trying to do as much as possible. But due to lack of interest or/and strictness in some officials in administration the problems are arising. These can be solved when the common citizens come into the seen, feel responsible for providing better, quality education to our young world.

In the elementary education sector, since 2005, ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) has been an interesting nationwide example of measurement of outcomes by local people. Each year, a massive effort is carried out across the country. This exercise, facilitated by Pratham, attempts not only to provide district level estimates of enrollment but also of the status of basic learning. Further, ASER involves over 500 organizations and close to 20,000 volunteers who visit more than 16,000 villages, over 300,000 households and close to 715,000 children. Using a common set of tools and a common sampling frame, in each rural district, a local group visits 30 randomly selected villages. Within each village, ASER volunteers meet all children (in the age group 3 to 16) from 20 randomly selected families. In each household, children are asked whether they go to school and if so what type of school. In addition, children of school-going age are asked to do a set of simple reading and arithmetic tasks.

In India, it is perhaps one of the largest initiatives focused on children in which local citizens participate each year to understand the progress (or lack of progress) in elementary education. ASER 2007 was released by the vice chairman of the Planning Commission in mid January this year.

NSS IIT Roorkee accompanied Pratham, an NGO in completing ASER 07 successfully in Haridwar district. This year almost whole survey will be done by NSS - IIT Roorkee in Haridwar district with the help of Pratham. Survey will be done on 8^th & 9^th Nov’08 and training for this will be given on 5^th or 6^th Nov’08.

Those interested in volunteering the ASER 08 can contact me(Naga M Reddy) on nagamreddya.ar@gmail.com, 09719278700 or Uttam Anand, 09897426765. As this survey happens all over India in all rural Districts in the 1^st week of November, if someone is interested in volunteering the same at some other place then also you can contact me, I will forward your details to the respective persons.

For further information visit,

http://www.pratham.org/aser2006.php

http://www.indiatogether.org/2006/feb/edu-afteraser.htm#postnew

http://www.indiatogether.org/2008/feb/edu-aser3yrs.htm

http://www.indiatogether.org/2006/feb/edu-afteraser.htm#continue

your comments are invited and will be considered sportively.

with regards,

Naga M Reddy A,

General Secretary,

NSS - IIT Roorkee

A Chance to Teach Village Students

NSS at your door

 NSS at your door

Energy conservation while Helping Needy

On May 13, Tuesday at 2pm, NSS volunteers will be at your door to collect any sort of waste material you have or anything which is useless to you.....be it Newspapers, other waste papers, old clothes, stationary, shoes etc.

What will NSS do with those things?

1. 1. Newspapers will be recycled and will be using to make carry bags to protect Roorkee from ever growing plastic use. Also NSS will be giving recycled paper for studying purposes to poor children coming in Prerna classes.

2. 2. Some children who come to study in Prerna Classes don’t have more than one pair of clothes to wear, so please come forward and help them by giving your old clothes.

3. 3. The stationary (used pens, pencils etc.) will be used in ‘PRERNA’ and ‘DISHA’ classes.

4. 4. Exams are over. Materials that you had taken Xerox or printed on one side will be useless to you. Instead of throwing those into dustbins or in the corridors or selling them to vendors, better give them to NSS which will directly take them to needy.

*funds in the form of money will not be collected

For further details, contact:

Pracheer Aggarwal, 9897898819

Divye Kapoor, 9917067888

nssatiitr@gmail.com

“Wasting waste can be wasteful if not done right!”

Willing to teach children?

Dear All,
You may be knowing that NSS - Prerna, IIT Roorkee is organizing evening classes to educate the underprivileged children staying in & around the campus. Most of them are children of workers of the IITR campus, and come from the campus as well as from the surrounding villages Khanjarpur, Bhangeri, Tailiwala, old roorkee etc.

Due to coming mid-semester exams and summer vacations yesterday NSS - Prerna had declared holidays for next 3 months. Children are very much interested in studying and want no holidays.

So we are here to invite volunteers to teach those, most willing to study, children. We can start classes from 14th may'08 if at least 5 volunteers will be available to teach. If any one of you have time to teach them from now onwards you are most welcome. Those who are staying, at least for 20 days, in the campus during summer vacations can contribute significantly for this noble cause.

Who knows your guidence or teaching may create one more Abdul Kalam or Dhirubai Ambani or some other great, greatest personnel. It will be a great chance to create a smile on a child face. It may be a small but significant contribution to make India the Great Nation.

Loads of Satisfaction is guaranteed along with lot of affection from children.

Please contact for more details through,
nssatiitr@gmail.com
91-9997020240

with regards,
Naga M Reddy A.,
B. Arch 3 Yr,
NSS - Prerna Secretary.

Spread Greenery to the Hostel Rooms in IITR and say we r close to Environment

Hi friends,
I got new idea, Distributing 1 or 2 plants to every student in the campus of IIT Roorkee, ofcourse only to those who are really interested, to keep in their Balconies.

We have Good green environment in the campus. I accept that, but what made me to think in this way is our rooms environment is totally away from the environment of campus. Dark, disappointing, uncleaned rooms and balconies. But I hope a plant can serve better for this cause, I think there is no need to prove.

For Example, 3 weeks before I brought 4 Plants and kept in my Balcony. Now one of them is with full of Flowers. I can't explain howmuch relief I get whenever I open my Balcony door and see those Plants and Flowers. You too can see them from the road before Ravindra Bhawan in the middle balcony in the 1st floor.

Ofcourse I am sure that many people will be Knowing much about Plants and Gardening than the a,b,c,d s I know in these areas. Please come up with your Ideas and Comments.

with regards
Naga Maddilety Reddy A.,
B. Arch 3yr,
F-8, Ravindrabhawan,
IIT Roorkee.
09997020240
anand.redi@gmail.com

nearly 1000 children not tasted fruits of education near IITR campus

Hi,

 Last Sunday(3rd feb'08), I have been to Kaliyar, a village 7km away from IIT Roorkee towards Haridwar.
There is a Darga which is very famous and attracts many Muslim Brothers from all over India, even from Pakistan.

When I entered the Village I really astonished to see the no.of huts (nearly 300-400) on the banks of Ganga Canal in bad condition. And can you guess what all the members in every family including children do for a  living?? BEGGING....
Very  few  work in some hotels and shops nearby. These people have migrated from many parts of the country, some even from Pakistan.

The sad part of this story is that..... nearly 1000 children from all those families have not been to school till now. We have to do something to show them how precious education is . Even many children from that village also have not been to school till now(1 primary school and 1 high school till 8th Std. are located in that village).

First we have to create awareness in them about education........ only then any of our plans will work.....

U can share ideaz here itself.....
otherwise in orkut community : NSS - PRERNA 2007-08

with regards,
Naga Maddilety Reddy. A,
anand.redi@gmail.com
9997020240
B. arch 3yr
IITRoorkee