Going well with academics and their passion, a group, which give the title of Ramose to their group, has collected and redistributed over 3,000 CET books, make a contribution of clothes to pourakarmikas and armed government school children with student kits containing basic stationary items by working part-time and holding fund-raising events.
It look as if this group of budding enginners have dedicated themselves to social upliftment, whereas children of their age are often point the finger at — and not without reason — of being lazy, gadget-minded and social network mesmerized.
It all started when Kaushik HA and his school friends decided to form a group which focused on bringing change that they want to see in society. At the outset, studies and preparation for entrance tests took up much of their time. “PUC years were spent in studying and securing seats in good engineering colleges, but the moment we got our admission letters, we formed ‘Ramose’, which in Latin means ‘to branch out’,” said Kaushik. “Over one-and-a-half-years, we as a group have organised many drives that have benefited students, pourakarmikas and other NGOs.”
Kaushik worked part-time in an ice-cream shop to raise the initial Rs 6,000 — the seed funding for their project. “From there on, we have all done some small jobs or the other and also held fund-raising events,” added Kaushik.
Venugopal S, another group member, added, “Some of us compose songs and music which we sell for short films. We use that money to buy stationery needed for student kits.”
The group, which set in motion with just 15 members, now has over 35 volunteers. The core group meets religiously every Sunday while they coordinate online with the rest of the volunteers.
Members of the group are pleased with their parents that have been, by and large, supportive
One issue, however, is storing all the old textbooks, clothes and other hand-me-downs that they collect. Some parents aren’t happy with the stuff lying around the house. “I store the books and clothes I collect under my bed and my mother often scolds me about it,” said Harshitha NS, a group member. “Most often, we dump if off at Kaushik’s house which has become a sort of Ramose museum.”
Sudha Anand, Kaushik mother, a homemaker, has took the wind out of her sails. She says,”We don’t give Kaushik any pocket money, but we do give him some money to go to college. He really slaves at part-time jobs and the like to pay for his work at Ramose.”