Giving back to Society

GSIS has taken up the initiative to sustainably serve (through the IAYP Residential Project of the Gold Award aspirants) the Kolikarai village under the aegis of the Nilgiris Adivasi Welfare Association. Fourteen of us (8 boys and 6 girls) from Grade 12 embarked on this mission from November 14 to 18, 2014 at Kolikarai, a tribal village of the Irula community in the Kotagiri taluk of the Nilgiris district. This tribal hamlet is located 28 km east of Ooty. We started by organizing and storing our provisions, kitchen utensils, tools, and bedding and once this was over, we were eager to get into action. It was a thrilling experience to cook our own food. Washing our own used plates and kitchen utensils, laundering our clothes were quite an eye opener that these mundane chores are possible and great to be engaged in. We learnt what it is to manage our living space for the next five days.

Housed in the space provided at the village hospital and crèche, we helped clear off the weeds and trash from the nearby play ground which was also used as a volleyball court by the villagers. We were engaged in digging and setting up a compost pit for garbage disposal. Along with these, we had set up a fence around the play ground.

In the following days, we presented an awareness skit on sanitation and healthy living. This was performed by students of the IGCSE Global Perspectives. We spent our evenings visiting homes and interacting with the village folk to understand their lifestyle. We found the people of Kolikarai very warm and supportive of our efforts to render service as well as to learn from them the true spirit of living.

The NAWA ofce in Kolikarai encourages traditional herbal medicine. The herbal garden was a wealth of knowledge about the importance of varied herbs in providing immunity and important nutrients to our body. As a part of our project, we cleared the garden a8nd the pathways of all the weeds there. We then helped clean the Kolikarai village hospital.

The Nilgiris Adivasi Welfare Association runs a primary school in the vicinity for the children of the Kolikarai village. We spent time with the children. We engaged in classes, distributed snacks. This project has truly made us experience another aspect of life. We learnt to survive with basic resources.

The IAYP Residential Project challenged our outlook and expanded our horizons. It has inspired us to undertake our duties and responsibilities faithfully, excel in all that we do and to contribute valuably to society. There is no substitute to education as relief from unwanted pain and difficulties in life.

Knowledgeable interaction with people is of primary importance to alleviate avoidable hardships and to foster greater understanding and appreciation of life.  Click for more pictures

Nominee for President GAHN India - Ishita Khanna

This is our GAHN President.
Ishita is a young dynamic development professional and an Ashoka Fellow. Her experience of working at the grassroots and passion for the environment and mountains has been the driving force for both Muse and Ecosphere. She was also recently chosen as MTV Youth Icon for 2008. She is striving to improve life in remote Himalayan villages by building a green economy. In response to the region’s growing environmental degradation and threatened cultural preservation, Ishita has developed a collection of new income-generating and ecotourism opportunities designed to improve environmental management and promote the pursuit of more sustainable livelihoods. Her quest for striking a balance between human capitalistic progress & the sustainability of all life on earth has merged the region’s most marginalized communities with the market-based economy and created an incentive to conserve the region’s dwindling resources. She is, thus, paving the way for the region’s most isolated communities to retake control of their resources and retain primary ownership over them, proving that better environmental management can be a profound source of economic growth. For Ishita, the peace and quiet of Spiti is the life she likes and chooses to live.

MESSAGE FROM ISHITA...

Hi everyone,
It is with great pleasure that I would like to inform you that Ecosphere has been nominated for the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Award in the Public Service category. We are truly humbled this year by this nomination and would like to take this opportunity to request you to vote for us. Please vote by following these simple steps:

1. follow this link http://www.indianoftheyear.com/index.php

2. register

3. go to the public service section and find ecosphere

4. click on the round tab below ecosphere and then click on submit at the bottom of the page.
The voting is open till Dec 11.
You can also vote through your mobiles by sending the SMS – IPUB4 to 51818
Thank you for all your support over the years that has brought us to this point.
Many Thanks and Warm Regards,

Ishita

Open Award Centre is now on!

The first OPEN AWARD CENTRE (OAC) has been inaugurated successfully at the Sri Aurobindo Society , on the 5th of September 2009.

The Agend of the meeting / launch ceremony:
1. Orientation for the new AWARD participants.
2. Enrolment at the OAC.
3. Plan for the Award Holders Association (AHA).

The meeting itself saw hoardes of participants and volunteers alike.

The students and staff members of the society also attended the ceremony with abundant enthusiasm. It started with a formal introduction and a speech by the head of the society, Mrs. Daljeet Wadwa.

Mr. Sandeep Dutt then officially introduced the programme to the audience. Starting with light discussion about the achievements and goals of IAYP so far, he moved on to explain the role of the programme.
“It is in fact 90% trust and 10% effort. It can find even that tiny miniscule of positive energy in you and enlarge it to that degree that it makes you do grand things. And you will be left with glorious
memories that will last you a lifetime. Why did the award come into being?? It is simply there because we want to motivate you, want you to enjoy the present moment and get rewarded for it, thereby making your life somehow more meaningful. It is presented to you not because you secured the highest position or the grand trophy but because you are showing an initiative. You come first , you receive the award .. you come last , you STILL receive the award . Because you get rewarded for doing whatever it is that you are doing , in a positive way.” Thus by captivating the crowd with his speech which was delivered in a jocund manner , he proceeded to inform the audience about the required fields of the award.

Next, Saachi Sarin, enlightened the audience about her experience receiving the gold. This
programme is considered the highest accolade for an achiever.

Moreover the institute members also showcased many dance pieces, plays and instrumental performance to entertain the crowd.

Following this the interested candidates were registered for the programme and briefed about the coming events. All in all it was a fruitful day.

We are most grateful to Ms. Daljeet Wadwa, Directos of SAIMA, for not only being our host but for assuring us of full support towards the OAC project.

Karisma Rawat