On May 11, like any other day, 21-year-old Joseph D’souza logged on to his Facebook account. Purpose? To add, update, poke and tag. But today, there was unusual, serious activity. A picture of a cute little kid flooded the pages, profile after profile. Within minutes, a community was created — ‘Search for Tamanna’ — giving details of the five-year-old kid who was abducted from Chennai’s Marina beach. Even though her parents lodged an official complaint with the police, the desperate father posted on Facebook, sparking rage and an urgency to volunteer help.
Tamanna was found at Government General Hospital in Chennai on Thursday morning, eight days after she went missing. According to early reports, the cops are speculating that her abductors must have abandoned her because the case attracted humongous attention from every quarter. Are we seeing a whole new dimension to social networking? How far does a social networking site help in real causes? Taha Khan, the 15-year-old who started the Facebook community in the middle of her board exams, says, “I wanted to go out, distribute flyers and stick posters, but due to my exams I couldn’t and so I started the community. I never expected such an overwhelming response from Facebookers. This is proof that humanity still exists and will continue to remain alive as long as we unite for such noble causes.” The community is going to be retained and used as an initiative to help kids reunite with their folks.
A visibly relieved and ecstatic Syed Ahmed, Tamanna’s dad, whose contact was listed on the Facebook community page, says, “We are extremely grateful toTaha, who, in spite of being a complete stranger, stepped forward to help us. The support and consolation that my family received in our time of need is unfathomable. Today, Tamanna is safe and my family is complete — only because of their efforts.”
\On April 6, the search for five-year-old Karnit Shah in Mumbai, took a similar virtual spin. His dad, out of desperation to find his son, took to Facebook and other social networking sites, pleading for any kind of information about his missing son. Fifteen days later, after thousands of likes and hits, cheer spread across the wall when Karnit’s mum, Kruti, put up the post, “Hey guys, with all your blessings, Karnit has been found in UP”. Post the jubilation and cheers, the parents appealed to the members to stick on and posted the sketch of the kidnapper, appealing for help to track the absconding suspect at the earliest.
Such constructive use of the otherwise condemned World Wide Web is encouraging. “Every new concept has its pros and cons and it is up to individuals to make it work in their favor. This isn’t the first time that social networks have come in handy,” says Nayan Bora, a self-obsessed techie and engineer by profession. “Who said that good deeds can’t be teamed with fun,” he adds.
Padini Nirmal, a social activist, opines, “When it comes to a good cause, social networking sites have made it easier than ever. Facebook is a powerful tool that can mobilize revolutions. Spreading awareness at a personal or community level can create a state of alertness and consciousness like never before.”
So why not break the cliché and start a revolution? For a change, post a critical thought, a humanitarian message, an innovative idea, link to a good article or just a good song, to brighten up somebody’s day.
-Agencies