Monday, June 14, 2010

I loved every bit of it :)

End of college, endless wait for the updates from universities..I wonder how one can stay back home or how can one practice patience? I can’t is all I know and everybody around me does.

This is the time when every engineering student stays back home, waiting for results, counting days for the semester to begin..Half of the people go to their hometowns and the others like us sit at home struggling with their siblings, yelling ‘subha se tumhi baithe huye hai system pe…’

Every time the break embarks I have it in my mind..-this time I’ll do something different! Cook, glass paints, Martial arts  :P Nothing escalates and I am left handicapped with the social networking sites. Before you say ‘Huh!’ stop! No they are not a waste of time always like Mom says.
Potter sis’s friend Monica came up with something good…A  group run by students called Street Cause needed volunteers. They were setting a medical camp in  a school and needed volunteers to aware people of the same in slums. And this was posted on Facebook..
This was something really exciting…something I never did.. with the same interest of serving people behind the  chopped ambitions of joining navy, becoming  a politician.. I was getting it do now.
Monica, Potter sis, Keshu and me registered our names..We were asked to volunteer in Banajra Hills.
8th June: Potter sis gave a hand..The indifference she wore was Pa’s anger at her unnecessary hangouts with friends. Huh! I was adamant about doing it, and once decided I don’t avert things. Sweet friend Keshu  and Mona joined..We were asked to halt at a a place and Manoj(the guy who posted it on FB) came and took us to the slums.
90 people posted ‘attending event’ on FB and they were only 12 members including us and the organizers there.

We were divided into teams, teams were divided accordingly..

One telugu speaking and the other hindi speaking partner. Major population spoke telugu there..I was sad that I don’t know much  telugu and that’d be a barrier in communication. Monica kept jabbering the same three four lines in telugu and I kept interrupting..with English words-free medical camp, free spectacles ..11th roju(day). Hearing it so many times then…after sometime even I started in telugu :P Each time we entered a house Monica asked ‘ Telugu aa? Hindi aa?’ She sighed each time they said Hindi…
At the doors sometimes dogs welcomed us and sometimes old women bathing kids…women sitting with open hair combing hair fighting lies.. :P
There were instances when we got scared of men too..An autowala followed us wantedly asking ‘I can also come?’
At a place a women listened to me quietly..I was wondering why is she not saying anything..then she started shouting ‘I can’t listen anything..you go ahead..’Other team narrated how they came across a AIDS patient and how people treated him..not touching him.
After tanning and sweating in sunlight for four hours day-1 ended.

9th June: My eye pained badly coz the previous night I watched Raajneeti late night on big screen.So, I couldn’t go..

10th June: After Mona’s much persuasion potter sis decided to come.

The slums on the other side had muslim people..Hearing syed nagar my eyes twinkled. It was my turn now to play the speaker. Mona and Manoj were spectators here.
Working in this area was painful than the Hindu basti(area with Hindu population). Safety  and hygiene was something badly sacrificed, Potter sis got a shock when she touched an electric pole. They were some houses where I  came back foot coughing  experiencing  nausea, coz they smelled that bad.  Cats  were scary  fighting for thrown mutton and beef pieces on roads.
While explaining them, I once said- ‘Checkup aankhon ke liye(showing teeth) and daaton ke liye(showing eyes)….’ :P
Muslim population was difficult to deal…many of the teenagers asking stupid questions just to pass time. So we winded up early.

11th June -THE IMPACT DAY.
The whole thing was sponsored by Deloitte. A blue parade landed on the camp site( delloite employees). We were left in  a corner in the blue cloud..but then we started inspecting how things were running much to disappointment the deloittes were disorganized. No volunteers positioned properly..then we two(keshu and me) took over the Dentist zone-me playing  a peon cum security guard with all the patients prescriptions, Keshu-pharmacist, Mona and humz stood at the entrance serving people water. The only thing delloites did was ran with aquafina bottles after the foreign delloite workers, may be sponsorers. I don’t understand why few people still love to lick the whites shoes..so what if they are the sponsorers..One of the white men said ’No I don’t drink warm water..’the Indian deloitte worker replied ‘Sir, it’s normal water..’
Huh!Angrez kab ka chodhh gaye..hum hi abhi tak baaz ni aye!
We had Rahul working with us one of the senior Deloitte worker, wee bit sane when compared to others there. Dentist was smart…I should have taken a picture with him..shahh!
Playing peon was fun, people tried flattery on me so that I’d let them in to the doctor first.. :P Every other minute people’d start fighting, break the queue and I’d then switch to a security guards role :P Lunch time and everyone ran..we didn’t go for lunch, we thought we’d eat together with  humz and mona who left for a mall in middle of all this.

Lunch time was over and Rahul came urged us to eat..we still didn’t eat..it was three then. Annoyed with our no’s he went and brought plates and food for us..It was a scene to watch all chicks staring..… :P
They started winding up things at four..but the dentist zone had so many patients left I didn’t stop taking the patients in, though they asked me to stop registering them. They closed their medicine kits and sat I went like a Jhansi ki rani and ordered them to give medicines..I can never forget that moment people holding my hands and thanking..

I never thought I’d feel this happy playing a peon and a security guard…
Thanks Street Cause & Deloitte ..

I got a Street Cause T-shirt too :)

15 comments:

~ Lopa said...

Ohh wow Neems... when i started reading this post, i didn't know where it was leading... but it's a great work, really...i am proud of you ! :)

And the act you did at the end, standing for poor and in need, not less than any hero... Bravo girl..keep it up ! :)

nameera said...

It's been seconds i posted...
Thanks for the ultra fast comment.
Yes!Yes I felt like a hero too :)

Tangerine said...

Wow! girl!!! Well done :)
I too keep thinking of doing something.. but :(

Anyways... u r doing a great job!! keep it up!

Anish Patel said...

Great Work... Keep it up.....
Desh ko tumahare jaise logo ki jarurat hai......

nameera said...

@Tang
Thanks..
@Anish
Thanks!Matlab main neta ban sakti hoon ? ;)

Sameera said...

Awesome. It strangely suits your temperament Nams. And why dint u post a pic of the t-shirt. A pic of u in that t-shirt wud hv bn better

nameera said...

Hehehe!
Thanks Sis!In this very big world, Strangely at least something suits me :P
The T-shirt is L sized, not that it doesn't fits me...I'll post it on FB soon :)

RG'S ARCHIVES said...

Well done. Never thought of doing anything like this during my breaks back in my Engg days. Worst part is, there was no Facebook, no Orkut, no twitter, etc then.

Liked your comment on white people. Wouldn't say I am racist, but Indians sometimes have tendency to do that with western people.

Cheers

nameera said...

Thanks RG!
Networking sites play a good role these days.
The sight was very funny!5 people with mineral water bottles in hands and as soon as they entered cameras starts flashing!Poor doctors sat in a corner and Goras were being highlighted.

Karan Agrawal said...

Kudos! Effort worth appreciations!
Good way to spend your free time, the initial part reminded me of my time when I use to wait for results hopingly and anxiously :)

nameera said...

@Karan
Thanks!
The intention behind wasn't to pass time completely :P

~ Lopa said...

Now it's vacation Namz, write some more !

nameera said...

nothing happening to write :(

Pesto Sauce said...

I did some similar stuff before with Art of Living, there is so much of wisdom in the slums

Delloite sponsors lotsa such stuff, they have a big office in Hyd

nameera said...

@Pesto
Altruist atleast found somewhere.
Slums wasn't a great place to be but once you enter them..you definitely value what you have.