Sports competition for children

“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but
those giving more.”

The students of NSS IIT Roorkee organised sports competitions for the
children of Khanjarpur and Bhangeri village. The event was organised
on January 26, 2016 in Subash Chandra Bose Club. Total forty-two
students aged between 8-12 years took part in the competition. Before
the event the volunteers had gone door to door to tell children about the
event. A lot of preparation and planning was done beforehand before
organizing the event.

First single lane race was organised for the children. It was followed by
marble on spoon race, frog race and three leg race. Both boys and girls
actively and enthusiastically participated in the events. Even some
parents had come to cheer for their children. The children were so
excited that many times they used to start running even before the count
to start finished. Those who were not in the race were cheering for their
friends. Volunteers as well as children both enjoyed a lot. The event
lasted for about two and half hours. After all the races were over, prizes
were given to the winners. At the end all the children were given
refreshments. Vishal Pundir, a student of class 7th and the winner of the
single lane race said that he enjoyed a lot and also that such events
should be conducted regularly by NSS.

The aim of NSS IIT Roorkee is all-around development of children. The
future of our country is in the hands of these children, Hence besides
teaching children, it also holds such events. Events like these teach
children importance of sports in life, team-spirit, discipline,
sportsmanship and help them in overall development. They also instil
competitive spirit and confidence in children. We can be sure of our
country's bright future only if the children are both physically and
mentally fit.

NSS Visit

On the 16^th of January, 2015, a group of 25 NSS volunteers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee along with program coordinator Mrs. Smita Jha visited an NGO, called the Bhartiya Gramotthan Sanstha in the District Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand.

The NGO, headed by Mr. Anil Joshi works towards rural and social development, and it achieves it by the production of handicraft, handloom and by giving commercial training to self-help groups of women. Around three thousand people are directly employed due to this NGO and several other are indirectly employed by them. The NGO works in the manufacturing of products like rags, carpets, woollen items, etc. which are made using the local fibres found in the state of Uttarakhand. Wool, jute and bark fibre, which is also called ‘bheemal’ in the local language, are the most commonly used fibres by the NGO to make their products. 

The process of manufacturing used by the NGO is simple yet quite effective. First the fibre undergoes a mechanical processing called carding, after which it is put into a willow machine and then to a spinning unit. After another few rounds of processing the fibre is made into fine threads and transferred to the Khadi Gram Udyog which uses this fabric to make products of their own. The fibre is also made fine in several cases and assembled into uniforms and sweaters and such items.

The main aim of this NGO is not the production of items made from fabric, their main aim is to alleviate the social and economic status of the surrounding places. Due to the climate and lack of opportunities, several of the people from the nearby villages leave their home and go to the cities. But due to this NGO, these people now find employment near their homes and their children are now also able to receive good education, making their future bright and full of great prospects.

Apart from all this, the organisation also focuses on empowering women. They do so by providing work and important duties to the females. The shops set up by this NGO have women operating them, further strengthening their desire to enhance women employment. All this has allowed the female population of that place to be independent.

The NGO also follows several fair trade principles, making their workplace a great environment. The principles followed by them are-

·         Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers.

·         Transparency and accountability.

·         Fair trading practices.

·         Payment of a fair price.

·         Ensuring no child labour and forced labour.

·         Non-discrimination, gender equality and freedom of association.

·         Ensuring good working conditions.

·         Providing capacity building.

·         Promoting fair trade.

·         Respect for the environment.

Apart from these practices, they also perform their manufacturing without causing much pollution. Their electricity demands are not high because of the use of manpower, plus they prohibit the use of plastic bags and instead use jute or cardboard bags further saving the environment.

The Bhartiya Gramothan Sanstha, established in 1989, is now 24 years old and is still going strong in making a difference in the world. Their desire to empower the local people, especially the women and their collaborations with self-help groups is highly commendable.

NSS can take huge inspiration from them and learn how the smallest of things can make a huge difference. The NGO shows us how the smallest of thing can lead to generation of employment. Their work is a motivation for everyone.

जीवन वृति एवं चित्त वृति के बीच चुनाव

एन.एस.एस. भारतीय प्रौधिकी संस्थान, रूडकी के तत्वाधान में दिनाँक १२/०१/२०१६ को छात्र कल्याण एवं मार्गदर्शन हेतु डॉ. अनुरूपा रॉय को व्याख्यान हेतु आमंत्रित किया गया |  कार्यक्रम का शुभारम्भ डॉ. अनुरुपा रॉय ने दीप प्रज्वलित कर के किया , इस अवसर पर छात्र कल्याण अध्यक्ष डॉ. डी.के. नोरियाल ने भी अपनी उपस्थिति दर्ज करायी | कार्यक्रम का उधेश्य छात्रों के जीवन में भविष्य में सही पेशे के चुनाव को लेकर होने वाली असमंजस को दूर करना था |

डॉ. अनुरुपा रॉय ने खुद के जीवन का उदहारण देते हुए बताया कि जिस तरह उन्होंने चिकित्सा शास्त्र में स्नाकोत्तर होते हुए भी परामर्श कार्य के छेत्र में खुद का भविष्य बनाया उसी तरह कोई भी अपने पसंद के छेत्र को स्वयं का पेशा बना सकता है | डॉ. अनुरुपा रॉय के अनुसार किसी भी छेत्र में जाने से पहले व्यक्ति को खुद से कुछ सवाल करने चाहिए और अगर उनके उत्तर संतोष जनक हों तभी आगे कदम बढाने चाहिए | उसे बिना किसी पूर्वाग्रह के खुद से प्रश्न करना चाहिए कि वह किस पेशे में जाना चाहता है | अगर वह उस पेशे में सफल न हो तो वापस खुद के छेत्र में आने का मार्ग उसके पास होना चाहिए तथा उसके पास पर्याप्त धन होना चाहिए जिससे की वह दूसरे छेत्र में खुद को स्थापित करने के समय सही तरीके से जीवनयापन कर पाए | उसे सफल होने के लिए पहले से ही उचित परियोजना बनाकर काम करना चाहिए |

कार्यक्रम के दौरान डॉ. अनुरुपा रॉय ने भारतीय प्रौधिकी संस्थान के छात्र नीलेश भल्ला एवं प्रतीक तोषनीवाल को उनके सराहनीय काम के लिए एन.एस.एस. उत्कृष्टता पुरस्कार से सम्मानित किया | व्याख्यान के अंत में डॉ. अनुरुपा रॉय ने छात्रों के प्रश्नों के उत्तर देकर उनके मन की शंकाओं को दूर किया | कार्यक्रम के अंत में डॉ. डी.के. नोरियाल ने डॉ. अनुरुपा रॉय को धन्यवाद देते हुए उन्हें अभारचिंह भेंट किया |

NSS organizes guest lecture to guide students

"Purpose is the reason you journey, Passion is the fire that lights your way"

The importance of pursuing our passion radiated in the guest lecture organized by NSS IIT Roorkee on 12 Jan, 2015, National Youth’s Day addressed by Dr. Anurupa Roy. Dr. D.K. Nauriyal, Dean of Student Welfare welcomed Dr. Anurupa Roy and distinguished guest, Dr. Vimal Kumar and Dr. Falguni Pattanaik, the Program Officers of NSS IIT Roorkee.

   Dr. Anurupa Roy enlightened the students with her words and inspired them with her own life story. She studied medicine for 6 years but then she realized that this is not where she belongs. She found her passion in
consultancy and social work and even after numerous difficulties kneaded her passion and career.

   The inspiring lecture was followed by a question and answer session where she answered the students as well as Dr. Nauriyal’s queries regarding how to deal with parents when the student wants an unconventional career.

    In the end, Dr. Anurupa Roy presented the NSS excellence award to Neelesh Bhalla, former On-Campus Secretary and Pratik Toshniwal, former Deputy General Secretary of NSS for their service. Dr. DK Nauriyal also presented a memento to Dr. Anurupa Roy. Thus, this was indeed a great start of the year for the youth as a sense of purpose was instilled in the students.

Blood Donation Camp

The value of life is not in its duration but in its donation. The donation of blood and thus, life is the greatest of them all. NSS IIT Roorkee organized a Blood Donation Camp on 13^th September 2015 at IIT Roorkee Hospital, giving the students of IIT Roorkee a chance to do so themselves.

Contributions of participants in BDC

The camp began at 9 AM with inauguration by Prof. Pradipta Banerjee, Director IIT Roorkee and Dr. D.K.Nauriyal, DOSW. IMA Blood Bank Dehradun, Himalayan Hospital Blood Bank, and Roorkee Civil Hospital, jointly handled the blood collection. The process designed by these blood banks was very quick and quite simple for donors to follow. Donors had to first fill out the form of the respective blood bank. The haemoglobin level of the donors was checked and blood was collected in allotted wards thereafter. The donors were then allowed to relax for a few minutes and provided with refreshments.The donors were also given a memento and a certificate of donation as a token of appreciation.

Blood Donating Participants

For many of the donors, this was their first blood donation and it was a very memorable experience for them. “Every suitable person should donate blood, not under coercion of someone but by following their own conscience.” said Dr. Smita Jha, Program Coordinator of NSS IIT Roorkee. The will to donate blood shown by the students was not deterred even in the scorching sun during the afternoon hours. The members of NSS worked hard in organizing this event.

 A positive feedback had been received from all the donors, even after waiting in a long queue to donate blood. Many of them took pictures as a memory of this event. The camp eventually concluded at 5 pm and all the donors left with a feeling of happiness and satisfaction.

 A new institute record of 1002 units of blood donated was made as a result of the promotions done and awareness created since a few days  as well as the resolve of the donors. The staff of the blood banks congratulated the organizing team as their efforts towards the event were successful.

VIHAAN

                                                                                                  

As the new academic year began, a guest lecture was organized by NSS IIT Roorkee to inspire and guide freshmen. IAS topper at an age of 22 years and clearing AIIMS entrance exam at a mere age of 16 years, Dr. Roman Saini was invited to give a guest lecture. The programme was called VIHAAN.

Felicitation of Dr.Roman Saini

The programme was organized in MAC auditorium on 24^th August, 2015. The auditorium was overflowing with students. The programme began at 6:30 pm.  The NSS General Secretary, Ayush Agrawal welcomed the freshmen congratulating them for their success in JEE 2015.Guest of honour for the programme; Dean of Students Welfare, Dr. D.K. Nauriyal, Dr. P. Jeevanandam and Dr. Smita Jha were also present.

Enthusiastic audience

Dr. D.K. Nauriyal was asked to enlighten the students with his few words. Finally, the wait of students was over when Dr. Roman Saini was called upon to address the students. He discussed about the changing environment in colleges for first year students i.e. they have to be smart and cope with the competitive environment around. The main theme of the lecture was a “BOLT FROM THE BLUE” which meant that opportunities can knock at your door anytime. Self-motivation, self-confidence, never-complaining attitude were the basic characteristics according to him one must have in life. After his lecture he also conducted a Q&A session in which many students participated.

The programme ended with vote of thanks by Dr. Smita Jha and a memento was given to Dr. Roman Saini. The programme ended by 8 pm and refreshments were then given to the students where Dr. Saini interacted with the students briefly for a few minutes. This was truly an inspiring and motivating lecture for the freshmen of IIT Roorkee.

Prabhat Pehri

India got independence from foreign rule on 15^th August 1947 becoming a sovereign nation and then onwards this day is celebrated as Independence Day to commemorate the sacrifices given by the great leaders and freedom fighters who struggled hard to obtain freedom from the British Empire.

 The event ‘Prabhat Pheri’ was organized by NSS on the occasion of 69^th Independence Day of India. The motive of this event was to inspire a patriotic feeling among the students of IIT Roorkee and to summon memories in our mind of the sacrifices made by our great ancestors.

Students participating in Prabhat Pehri

In the morning of that auspicious day, all the cells of NSS came together at Mandi Cell, at about 6 AM. Everyone seemed to be in an enthusiastic and energetic mood even though it was quite early in the morning. Soon, all of them assembled to form three lines. The rally proceeded towards Jawahar Bhawan in an orderly but lively manner. Many students had held posters and signs depicting a message to everybody on the theme of Independence Day. The rally then moved towards LBS Ground. They were singing patriotic songs together in chorus wholeheartedly. Proceeding to the boys hostel complex, the rally halted to spread awareness among their friends in their bhawans by vigorously shouting patriotic slogans like “Inquilab Zindabad”, “Vande Mataram” and “Jai Hind, Jai Bharat”. Some people even joined the rally till the end after seeing the spirit of their friends and colleagues. The voice of the people kept on increasing as they moved on the road towards MGCL. The bystanders also looked towards them in admiration as they approached the end of their rally back at the Mandi Cell. After the singing of the National Anthem, the crowd was dispersed.

 A feeling of happiness was provoked among the students by the Prabhat Pheri. For many of them, it was a first-time experience. This event made its mark in the minds of many students.

The Scientific and Rational Tenor of Srimad Bhagvad Gita

India, land of dreams and spirits, of fabulous wealth and culture, of splendor and glory, is the only land through ancient times, whose enigma and charm lies in its imperishable in-depth knowledge of science and technology.

Last week, IIT Roorkee under NSS, had the privilege of having Shri Malayaj Garga, an alumni of IIT Kanpur, best -selling author of “THE HOLY GITA- The Discourse”, deliver an inspiring and thought-provoking presentation on ”The Scientific And Rational Tenor Of Srimad Bhagvad Gita”.

Shri Malayaj Garga delivering lecture

Following the enlightening words of Swami Vivekananda, “Strength is life, and Weakness is death”, Shri Garga apprised Gita as not being merely a spiritual but a finest piece of revolutionary book ahead of its time, in view of science and technology. Bhagvad Gita -the song of God- is where Krishna, the personified Self, motivated Arjuna to transcend the selfish interests of saving his own relatives and rise up for the collective benefit of dharma and tread the path of righteousness. Dr. Garga presented Bhagvad Gita as a guiding light that illuminates the path of the seekers irrespective of their caste, creed, color or country.

The book has answered several questions that have baffled great scientists over long time such as the big bang theory, fascinating topic of dark matter and energy. Atom and its constituents were already mentioned in this 5000 year old legacy. “Vasudeva Sarvam Iti”, as Shri Garga puts it correctly, is the crux of Gita and a key to profound mysteries which means that a higher consciousness or ‘Chetna’ pervades all living beings. Quoting several verses from Gita, he emphasized that even our minds and thoughts are a part of this powerful information storehouse which is responsible for striking a perfect balance and harmony among the elements and processes of nature. His creative approach to presenting interesting facts and enthusiasm for the credibility of the laws of physics, singularity, knower and the known, birth and death resonated with all of us. The time invested to achieve such a well-crafted message, which takes discipline and persistence, grabbed great admiration and applause.

Shri Malayaj Garg honored by Mrs. Smita Jha

Srimad Bhagvad Gita is the scripture of self-realization, of solutions to the eternal inner war that each of us wages with the army of self-limiting thoughts compromising our happiness in this world. It teaches us that fanatical discipline when combines with hard work, the challenges of mental fatigue and mind-blocks are no match in the pursuit of excellence and innovation.

BLOOD DONATION CAMP

"You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will 
never be able to repay you."

As following the noble tradition of ‘Not for me, but for the Nation”, National Service Scheme (NSS, IIT Roorkee Chapter) organized its pièce de résistance , the Blood Donation Camp, on Sunday 7th something extraordinary and satisfactory to the souls who continuously strived to 
make the event a success. . With a whopping 958 blood donors, the event broke the national level record at the institute level. 

Prof. (Dr.) S.P. Gupta, the honorable Deputy Director and Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Nauriyal, the Dean of Student Welfare, inaugurated the Blood Donation Camp and marked 
the beginning of the most successful blood donation camp, IIT Roorkee has ever witnessed so far. IMA Blood bank Dehradun, Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital Dehradun and Civil Hospital, Roorkee were the three participating blood banks. 

NSS Coordinator

The donors had to undergo three levels of screening before donating blood to ascertain their eligibility for donating blood. The primary consisted of weight and blood pressure checkup and secondary dealt with hemoglobin test and the tertiary issued the blood bags with questions concerning the donor history. As appreciation, various refreshments like water, fruits, biscuits, juice along with goodies and a certificate were provided to the proud donors. Some of the donors who could not meet the criteria had to  goempty-handed.

A great amount of awareness was created regarding the camp through door to door campaign, posters, promotional video and motivational lecture. Arrangements were also setup as to provide a help desk that did a remarkable job of handling people’s doubts and queries. The first time donors were doubtful of the experience but seemed contented after the donation. BDC cutouts proved to be a major source of entertainment for people. 

Main hall

Volunteers were motivated by the zeal and the enthusiasm of donors who waited for hours to participate in this noble cause and encouraged students from all branches to take part in this wonderful project. Not only boys but a large number of girls also came forward to donate blood.


Novel Jindal, a fourth time donor and the first donor of the camp, showed no sign of fear and even inspired others to donate the blood. The chief guest Dr. S.P. Gupta, Deputy Director admitted his desire to accompany and observe and to be involved in all the activities of NSS. Further he applauded the work of youngsters and suggested the involvement of alumni in such events

                           

He further shared with us his first life-saving experience when he was a youngster and stressed upon the point of displaying life-saving experiences to motivate the donors. Mrs. Banerjee, an active socialist, imparted some pearls of wisdom - “ Spread Awareness, Collect Data and Continue providing support”. She also suggested the uploading of a database to help students in times of crisis and further showed her concerns regarding anaemic girls in the campus.

                                 


She also shared her first experience of blood donation which was in the first year of her college back in 1985. NSS Coordinator Dr. Smita Jha, the flag bearer of this camp narrated her endeavors as a student of Bihar University to organize a blood donation camp and how she was influenced by the death of a child suffering from thalassemia which changed 
her thought process altogether. She further said that its pretty weird that people hardly bat an eyelid while undergoing piercings and tattooing but feel that a syringe is painful. In a way, this perception needs to be changed and she pretty much summed it up that, “Life is precious, try to save it whether yours or others”.

News report

Vibhor Agarwal, after donating blood, pretty much conveyed the feelings of everyone "I really appreciate the patience and zeal shown by the donors today". In the end, the three blood banks congratulated Mr. Mohit Tanwar, General Seceratary, NSS IIT Roorkee, and appreciated the hard work put by him and his team. The whole NSS team conveyed gratitude towards the donors and expects the next camp to be even greater.

Certificates

Supervision by doctors

Hats off to girls

NSS cell members also donated

Age doesn't matter, its feeling which matters

Teach for India

Teach For India

Teach For India is a nationwide movement of outstanding college graduates

and professionals working towards eliminating educational inequity in India.

The major objective of this program is to provide education to students who cannot get proper education. It provides fellowship to graduates who teach uneducated Indians for 2 years. Actually, Teach for America was the first  program that was initially started. It was successful and so Teach for India stepped in, which enlightened the hopes of Indian. In India also, initiatives are taken by graduates who work under low salary and provide education.

An image describing the case

IIT ROORKEE students got a golden opportunity to communicate with one of the members of Teach for India, Mr. Shivendu Chatterjee. He started his lecture by saying that we will be angry when we leave this hall. Everyone was shocked and couldn’t understand the reason. Then he showed us a picture in which there were six children carrying bags. But 2 were carrying school bags while remaining 4 were carrying garbage bags. Scenario was very clear and we understood the reason. Further he informed that in India 5% students never get a chance to see any book. Not only that, he told 90% of students do not study after 12th because of many reasons.

He clearly explained the difference between illiterate and uneducated people. Illiterate are those who don’t know anything to read or write while uneducated are those who don’t get proper education.He even showed us few videos of alumni who had joined Teach for India and today their students have done so many great activities not only in studies but also in development of country. He then ended his lecture and everyone had mixed feelings. Some were sad and angry knowing the real condition of poor children while some where happy as these type of programs are there to help those poor students.

The Vision

To conclude it was an encouraging session and many looked forward to join Teach for India.

Tree Plantation

Dr.D.K.Nauriyal

The great scientist Albert Einstein once  said- “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand better.”To Follow his saying ,Tree Plantation drive was organized by the National Service Scheme (NSS) students of IIT Roorkee on the eve of Independence Day. A total of fifteen saplings were planted throughout the campus of IITR.

Dr.D.K.Nauriyal, Dr.SmitaJha,Dr.Inderdeep Singh planting 

                                        The program  began with plantation of  saplings at the Mandi Cell lawn by the Dean of Students’ Welfare Dr.D.K.Nauriyal, the NSS coordinator Dr.SmitaJha, Dr.Inderdeep Singh and others. Then two saplings were planted in front of the Institute Hospital by the Chief Medical Officer Dr.M.K.Jha. Further, more plants like Dussheri Mango, Guava and Jamun were planted in the campus near Azad Bhawan, ABN School, etc. The students walked through the campus and carried out the program with great zeal and enthusiasm. Dr.SmitaJha also addressed  students about initialising the cleaning of  Ganga Canal.

Students get motivated

                                       This Tree Plantation drive taught the students to observe and learn from nature. Trunk of a tree teaches to stay strong, branches teach to bend as per situation. Planting trees also contribute for the betterment of future generations. In this way, NSS IIT Roorkee stepped ahead in making the campus greener.  

Institute Quiz

Day after day our dependence on internet is increasing extremely to obtain many things such as: information, research on various topics, communicating with each other across the globe in order to have more comprehension about people, customs and for exchange of thoughts and ideas with others. One of the motivating ways for increasing information and getting fun at the same time is general knowledge quizzes. They help us to keep our minds fit and agile.

        In consideration of the above thoughts NSS,IIT Roorkee organised ‘Institute Quiz’ on the occasion of 15^th August,2014 at 5 pm. The quiz was held at Mandi cell of IIT Roorkee campus. The quiz was open to all the students of IIT Roorkee in groups of two.  About 10 teams participated in the quiz enthusiastically. A total of 36 questions were asked related to general knowledge about Indian history, Current Affairs etc. The questions were being presented to the participants on screen through a projector. Some of the questions were like ‘When was the Tiranga first planted on Mount Everest?’ , ‘How many High Courts are there in India?’ ,etc. The quiz continued for about half an hour and the students participated with full eager and zeal. The programme proved to be a great achievement and was also a great initiative of NSS, IIT Roorkee. Such events also inculcate a habit of learning among youths.

Prayukti

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”NSS, IIT Roorkee is back with its bustling activities and started the semester with Prayukti, held on sixth August evening in O. P. Jain auditorium. 

Students being motivated

The program started with a motivation speech by Dr. Smita Jha, NSS program coordinator. Truly, to be part of such a social working group, one needs to be full of motivation and zeal. Social work not only helps society to flourish but it also provide satisfaction to people who do this. Her words reinforced these ideas in every brick of the auditorium.

Dr, Vimal Kumar expressing his thoughts.

The words of wisdom from Dr. Vimal Kumar and Dr. Anil Gourishetty, NSS program officers, laid great emphasis on building up of the nation and 

Swami Vivekananda ideologies.

 It provided an excellent opportunity for the central team to interact with the new members of the group. Each cell secretaries introduced their cell and welcomed the first yearities to the team. They advised them to work with diligence and prudence. The students made full use of the opportunity to quench their doubts. Thus, the first event was marked with enthusiasm and a pledge to take NSS to new heights.

"Auroville" - A Sustainable Learning Workshop for NSS Students

NSS- “not for me but for the nation”, the motto of NSS IITR was further deepened in the hearts of its members when they visited Auroville : The City of Dawn, a place where the needs of the spirit and the care for progress gets precedence over the satisfaction of desires, the seeking for pleasure and materialistic enjoyments. With the key quest to search for the answer of, “What is a sustainable society?” we found one, that too very appropriate, in The City of Dawn.

We learned that a sustainable society is one where everyone is able to live in peace, a society that can progress without catastrophic setbacks in the foreseeable future.

Orientation discussion with Architect Manu at ‘Sacred Groves’ Housing site  

                                   

We spent our day in the lush green surroundings of Sadhana Forest, learning about applied practices of ecological planning & development, followed by orientation discussion with Architect Manu at ‘Sacred Groves’ about ‘applied recycle principles’.

Also, Learning from wide ranging of Aurovillian experts about various sustainable ways which included: waste construction material segregation for building purposes, use of discarded for shuttering material, on field explanation about organic farming – food production overview, its critical role in our lives and culture, climatic pattern and different approaches to farming (at Solitude Farm with Krishna), What is the purpose of Education and Spiritual Role of India & Youth’ ( by Deepti at Nandanam KG), and ‘Root Zone Waste Water Treatment Plant at Luminosity Housing’ , was an awesome experience. With the goal to embrace life 'INSPIRATION’ workshop was also held to realise human unity.

Experiencing the ‘musical & magical sounds’ at Svaram 

                                        

Having organic lunch at Solitude Farm and experiencing the ‘musical & magical sounds’ at Svaram were some cherished memories to behold.

While still In Auroville, where we, with fresh positive energies, our minds flooding with ideas, self-motivation running high and Taking inspiration from ecological collaborative planning process in Auroville; came up with Integral Sustainability Platform in our workshop. Its main objective is to make IITR efficient in:

Energy (Efficiency and generation)

People (Within IITR Family & surrounding population)

Built Development (Green Architecture, Appropriate and supporting infrastructure, productive landscape…)

Waste Management (Solid & Liquid Waste Management)

INSPIRATION workshop session in progress

MEDITATION CENTRE/MULTI-UTILITY CENTRE

We also felt the need to have a meditation centre in campus for inhibition-free intellect and trauma- free memory.

More responsibility you have in life more is the need of meditation.it not only relieves you of stress and strain, it enhances your abilities to face challenges.

What  lessons, ideas and practices from Auroville can be tried out at IITR Campus ‘Workshop in Progress’

We thought of a few pilot projects which had implementation possibilities and proposed that NSS IITR was capable to take up Solid Waste management, Energy conservation through green energy, Affordable housing using CEBs, Meditation Centre and affordable toilets (Sulabh International)

We conducted a survey regarding the Present Scenario of Waste bins at IIT Roorkee, and found out that In total here at the IIT Roorkee campus we have :

Near about 100 bigger ones (cement-concrete+polymer), near about 20 small with special stand on sides of campus roads, near about 10 to 15 dustbins in each hostel. Also, certain Proportion of Mess Waste is thrown indiscriminately into sewers. The total garbage of the campus is sent to Saliar village near Roorkee after which IIT Roorkee bears no responsibility .

Further, the waste collection project was initiated by a detailed survey by our team regarding the number of dustbins available in each bhawan, Institutional buildings, near the roadside, and the waste approximation of the above places.

We then put together a scheme of installment of three types of dustbins for organic wastes (Kitchen Waste, Food Wastes), Inorganic waste ( Plastic, Metal, Glass) snd Paper wastes.

According to the potential and requirement of the place these dustbins will be installed.

After installation of dustbin we will conduct one more survey regarding waste generated in each category.

We are planning to collaborate with Attero recycling Pvt. Ltd. And Waste Warriors For recycling of plastics.

And for recycling of papers we are trying to connect with Saharanpur industries.

For organic waste we have planned to develop Biogas plant.

On field explanation about organic farming

                             

Simultaneously, we started with the project of using CEBs to make housing affordable. After a thorough hands on demonstration of “Making of CSEB - Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks” at Earth Institute, it was easy to list down the pros and cons of using CSEBs.

The advantages include that it is based on Locally Available Materials, is a bio-degradable material, attempts to reduce deforestation and promotes energy efficiency, has a Possibililty of Versatile Utility, gives a job creation opportunity, reduces import, has a flexible production scale and is socially accepted.

Some of the disadvantages are that Proper soil identification is required or unavailability of soil, Unawareness of the need to manage resources, Ignorance of the basics for production & use, Not suitable for wide spans and high buildings, Low technical performances compared to concrete, Untrained teams producing bad quality products, Over-stabilization through fear or ignorance.

Inspite of these disadvantages, we decided to go ahead with CSEBs beacause of the main advantage of cost effectiveness. CSEB are most the time cheaper than fired bricks and concrete blocks. In Auroville, a 1 finished m³ of CSEB masonry is cheaper than fired bricks: between 15 to 20% less than country fired bricks (April 2009). The cost breakup of a 5 % CSEB produced in Auroville with an AURAM press 3000 is as follow (July 2012):

Labour (soil sieving and block making): 45 %

Raw materials (soil, sand, water): 27 %

Cement: 25 %

Equipment: 3 %

The Auram press 3000 proposes 18 types of moulds for producing about 70 different blocks.

The installation cost is around 1.5 lacs including transportation.

SHGs were our next point of focus. SHGs involve generating employment through paper based products like paper bags and baskets. Clearly, they could be implemented in the rural settings of Roorkee.

Use of  discarded ‘Petrol/Diesel Hose Pipes' as shuttering material

The next step was clean and green energy, the the answer to that was biogas plants.

Biogas plants are designed to handle organic waste and decompose it anaerobically to get useful resources including methane gas and organic fertilizer. They promote the use of Renewable energy and allow for proper management of Kitchen Waste and left over food in our hostels. Further, they require no maintenance cost for nearly 20 years.

On an average, the daily mess waste produced is 40-45 kgs which requires 8 hours in a 4 cum plant to produce 1.6 kgs of biogas. This biogas plant costs approximately Rs. 70000, including the transportation, installation and labour charges and taxes. On researching more comprehensively, we found that after 1.5 years, we will be daily getting gas worth Rs.128 absolutely free of cost.

How, you ask?

Here are the stats:

Value of Organic fertilizer = Value of Waste if we sell it on tender basis.
Gas Produced is an extra benefit to us. Here is its Analysis

Cost of 1 kg of commercial LPG in market = Rs 80

Daily Savings if we use 1.6 kg gas from biogas plant instead of LPG = Rs 128

Our Initial Investment = Rs. 70,000

Break Even Point = (70000/128) = 547 days =1.5 years

We also looked into the matter of providing affordable toilets. We found that villages surveyed for the installation of toilets are undeveloped & unprivileged. The financial status of people residing in rural areas is not sound. Further, open Defecation is prevalent owing to availability of vast area of barren land and nearby jungle. Such inadequate access to sanitation, hygiene and clean water subjects the people to diseases. Girls are often forced to miss school or drop out of education due to lack of sanitation facilities in India. It is estimated that 1 in every 10 deaths in India in villages is linked to poor sanitation. Among the villages surveyed were Teliwala, Paniyala, Khanjarpur and Bhangedi. We came across two types of prototypes- a sub-structure with super-structure and simply a sub-structure.

The next steps we are planning to take are income-wise analysis of the people residing in different villages, individual opinion from each household towards Choice of Design of Affordable Toilets and soil sample testing and Capacity Calculation ( by Sulabh International Volunteers).

Our Auroville Team

                             

In the end just as Auroville, we have to give promise for people to choose another way of life.