BIET flooded with generosity!
They say ‘Service to mankind is service to God‘ and when the floods had taken its toll on millions of innocent and helpless people in between the 28th of September to the 3rd of October rendering them homeless in the interiors of Andhra Pradesh, many people and organisations came forward with an intention; an intention which was filled with care, concern and most importantly, humanity.
Similar tenets of humanity and brotherhood were followed in Bharat Institute of Engineering and Technology (BIET). The college had organized a ‘Flood Relief Camp’ for the people who were adversely affected by nature’s fury. The flood relief camp was called ‘Cheyuta 2009′. ’Cheyuta’ means to render a helping hand to the one in need. It was conducted at Mahbubnagar and Kurnool districts on the 10th & 11th of October respectively.
Lecturers and students working together. Credits:Painless Predator
A couple of days prior to the ‘Flood Relief Camp’, several notices regarding the donation of clothes, food material and money were announced in the classrooms and displayed in the notice boards of BIET with a very clear intention, i.e, collecting as much material as possible. The class representatives of each class were given a separate task to collect the money, clothes and food products from their respective classes which would in turn be useful for the ones in dire need. Chris, the Class Representative of IT 3rd year says, “Initially everyone in my class were in two minds whether to donate or not, as they were unsure that it will reach the correct place. But when all the students in the college were generously donating, the students of my class too roped in a lot of aid.”
As if the generosity of the students was not enough, the members of faculty (teaching and non teaching staff) proved to be one step ahead of the students. The staff of BIET made a wonderful gesture by donating one day’s salary towards this cause. The ‘Flood Relief Camp’ was initiated and headed by the Humanities department of BIET and Mrs. Bharati, Mrs. Sridevi and Mr. Gorak Nath played a pivotal role in getting this program organized and executed.
Exclusive Buses arranged for the camp. Credits:Painless Predator
The students, members of faculty, the non-teaching staff and some other volunteers joined in their hands to enthusiastically participate in helping the people who were in desperate circumstances. This kind of student-faculty jelling was seen for the first time in the BIET campus. Bhargav, a student volunteer says, “Many students and faculty members volunteered for this program and it was certainly surprising too see the spirit. Everyone wanted to help in any manner they could. Most importantly, it was a sort of ironic to see the way the students and faculty members worked together,” he jokingly adds.
Separate buses of BIET were arranged exclusively for the transportation. Other college going students didn’t face any problems concerning transport as the program had been conducted on 2nd Saturday and Sunday, both being holidays.
The relief material collected by 3rd-CSE Students. Credits:Painless Predator
On reaching the flood prone areas, nobody was ready for the magnitude of destruction that had taken place. The silent groans, mourning of small children in fright, the hopeless expressions on every victim’s face was enough to narrate this tragic saga. On being asked about the condition of those areas, Ravi, a student says, “This is the most painful and tragic sight I’ve ever witnessed in my life. Everything seems so silent and calm now, but the loss of lives, property, farms, lands is beyond description.” He further adds, “I just hope the government does something useful to try and bring a ray of hope into the lives of these millions.”
It was reported by a few student coordinators though, that most of the victims weren’t accepting clothes because they thought it was below their dignity to wear something which has already been worn by someone else. “Things like food products and monetary aid was all that these victims would seem to take,” said one of the coordinators. The students who actively coordinated in this program were Prudhvi, Soloman and Sai Chand of CSE 3rd year & Sampath and Pranay from ECE 3rd year respectively.
People Striving for the relief material. Credits:Painless Predator
On the whole, ‘Flood Relief Aid’ was an eye opener for all those who ‘could’ but never ‘did’. It was an example for all the people who just ‘talked’ and did nothing worthwhile. Added to that, it started a new trend in the campus of BIET, which was a never-seen-before affair. It is to be hoped that after fulfilling such a noble cause, a strong way of motivation has been paved for the students of BIET in the future, a way of feeling one’s pain and suffering.
