Sector 2 AASRA: A Beacon Of Hope

Sector 2 AASRA: A Beacon Of Hope

Aasra, the social service club of NIT Rourkela, has been around for many years now. Established on the 26th of January in 2005, the organization has touched the hearts of many and has striven tirelessly to fulfil its objective of uplifting the underprivileged section BECAUSE THEY NEED US. At present, there are 8 workplaces and Sector-2 is one of them.

Sector-2 workplace was established in 2014 by AASRA with the help of Father Benny (chairperson of CWS hospital).  It is the workplace that is closest in distance to NIT Rourkela. Having started off with around 15 kids, the workplace struggled a lot in handling the kids. Initially, Sector-2 was the only workplace which had daily visits excluding Sunday. Problems cropped up after the initial semester where many members were inactive. Although, the positive side to this was that the bonding between the active members and the kids became very strong. The parents were also hesitant because of the communication gap between them and the members because of different languages as well as the change of location of the workplace due to certain circumstances. Moreover, Sankalp Bhaiya, one of the previous captains, was also threatened to stop teaching the kids. Nevertheless, the members continued to provide the kids with proper guidance and the conditions improved significantly. The workplace has emerged victorious in spite of all the obstacles. The challenging times ended up teaching the members a lot of things. Now the workplace is budding with more than 30 students who are mentored by the members. 

The kids of Sector-2 have fought against the best of odds and stood out to be diamonds in a bed of rocks. They have bagged laurels for the entire workplace. Madhuri, who had written her 10th board exam last year, scored the highest marks among all the kids of her class in the workplace. The kids of standard 10th and 11th achieved great marks in their examination. Moreover, two of the kids were being prepared for the JNV Examination. Even though they did not succeed in clearing the examination, they did learn a lot. Knowledge is what matters and that is what is prioritized over results.

 Following the same motto, Aasra has crafted the science exhibition called Little Science Yard (LSY) for kids from all sectors. It is one of the flagship events of Aasra which is held every year during Innovision, the techno-management fest of NIT Rourkela. This year, it was Sector -2 which won the recognition of best working model. The model was about rooftop plantation, which is an innovative approach towards sustainable environment. It is events like these that help the students go above and beyond their curriculum and embrace the practical culture of science.

On the 26th of January this year, Aasra celebrated its Foundation day with all the members and kids gathered together. This year, Sector-2 kids bagged the award for the best performance on the Foundation day. Along with this, Madhuri got awarded for her year around academic achievements and constant dedication to education.

One of the most exemplary students of Sector-2 is Mamata. Being an intelligent girl, she did not leave any stones unturned for her education with her parent's support. She achieved great marks in 10th and 12th and had started teaching kids to impart knowledge because she wanted to help others learn just like Aasra members. Students like her teach us the value of our own efforts as mentors. Another person who deserves to be recognised is Vishal. His limited resources have not stopped him from following his dreams. With killer dance skills, he has his own YouTube channel named Beat killer. Currently,  he is completing his Bachelor's and he aspires to go to a drama college in Delhi.

Sector-2 workplace has ended up being a family for all. Most of the members feel connected with the kids on an emotional level. A strong bond has been forged between the kids and the members due to their constant interaction with each other. It has become a dream for the members to see the kids succeed in their life. That is why each member of sector-2 gives his all towards the children of the workplace. Tejaswini shared with us a beautiful encounter with the kids which sets our perspective straight. She recalls, “Once a kid said to me that she will always be grateful to me for what I am doing for her to help her in studies and keep her motivated. This made me really emotional”. Incidents such as this inspire us to work harder and with more vigour and determination. 

Words from some senior members of Sector 2:

Roja di:

 “The most beautiful moments spent with our sector 2 kids for me were when I used to sleep on the floor with kids to watch stars and moon and talk for a lot of time. Each one of those small kids used to tell me about their interests and their day in detail. There are few kids who don't have both their parents to take care of them but when they interact with us, they forget all the problems they are facing and show us a sparkling smile which inspires us to be like them.

 There is a physically challenged kid who is not going to school. He started coming to our workplace when he was 3 years old if I remember correctly. Even though he never wanted to study, he used to spend time with our seniors. Now he is around 6 years old and a few months back he came with books to our workplace and asked me to teach him English. I asked him about his sudden interest to study. He said he just wanted to learn like every other kid in the workplace. From that day onwards he started coming to the workplace every day and tried to learn something. We always wanted the kids to come and ask us to teach them with their own interest instead of us asking them to study.

 As members of aasra, we should always remember that we are not just teachers, we are like their family so our duty is to motivate them, inspire them and show them their own talents so that they overcome their problems.”

Sankalp Bhaiya:

“My first visit to the workplace was on Raksha Bandhan and it is an unforgettable day for me. I had both my hands filled with rakhi. For someone who had no sister, I was suddenly gifted with so many of them. I have no words to explain how I felt on that day.”

My message to the members of AASRA is – “Always remember your reason for joining Aasra. This reason is what will motivate you to work for aasra. If you are a bit low and not feeling well then you must go to the workplace and spend time with the kids. Believe me, you will feel good. In between all of this, you should remember that you have come to college to study and it should be your topmost priority. Help yourself and become capable before helping others. If you have mastered time management, maintaining balance between academics and other work will be easy.

Another advice would be to be direct in whatever you do. If you don't find anything interesting to you, don’t do it. For example, if you are not able to manage aasra work and there are other things more important, be direct and no one will judge you. But once you have taken some responsibility then you should be fully devoted to it.

At last, I would like to say that one should give a chance to aasra and talk to the kids once. There is nothing more beautiful and satisfying than seeing someone smile because of you.”

Adarsh Bhaiya:

“It was the 3rd of August when I first went to sec-2 workplace. Initially, these kids were very naughty and were difficult to control, but as we interacted more, we came to know that they needed proper and continuous guidance. As soon as we started providing them with the same, we could feel the difference. The involvement of kids in studies and other activities increased many folds.

Involvement of kids in LSY showed their interest and passion towards studies which helped them secure 3 prizes out of 5 projects they had. It was not difficult to find out that apart from studies, these kids also possessed other qualities like dancing, wherein they have secured 1st position continuously for 4 years in Aasra's foundation day. Few kids are interested in singing, drawing too. It was a surprise for me to find out that one of the kids is very good in rap. Therefore, it is our duty and we have provided them with necessary requirements to pursue their dream. Among some notable initiatives, there were yoga classes which took place on Sunday morning along with sessions to boost kids' creativity with different methods of teaching and help senior students learn computers. These kids with their heart-melting smile and unbeatable inner passion to learn always motivate us to go there and share our love and knowledge with them.”

No workplace can be complete without its members. Sector-2 is grateful to have members who are energetic and are always keen to take on any work given to them. Their dynamic with the kids has been phenomenal which makes sector-2 one of the best workplaces in Aasra. There are kids who dream to be dancers, singers, and the members strongly believe they can help them pave the way to become a better person and achieve their goals.

With the approach of a new academic session, the baton of leadership and responsibility has now passed on to the new Captain Tejaswini, with Satyajit as the Vice-captain. They have already started to work on a future plan wherein each student will be made to focus on not only their school activities but also another curriculum so as to give them a strong foundation. The syllabus will be pre-planned and the conduction of exams will be done at regular intervals. This will be done so that they do not face much difficulty at tougher examinations such as JNV, etc. This curriculum will be implemented for students below class 9. The rest will be taught from their school syllabus. This way, every student will be assessed once every week.

As Robert Frost said,     

“And miles to go before I sleep, 

And miles to go before I sleep.”

      Even though the workplace produces good results every year, they strive to make it better every day. The club has a legacy to stand up to and a bright future to look forward to. In the world full of darkness, Aasra desires to leave its mark like a shining star.

- Seema Priyanka