As a kid, I was motivated to make people aware of their rights and the responsibilities they had towards the nation or towards the earth at large. I was always inspired by the social groups that protested for the rights of people in a democracy to make the country more inclusive of the people dawdling behind in the race of life. Not just this, but helping animals and raising voice against cruelty of all forms became the core of my pet issues. The idea of standing up for the one in need was embedded in me from childhood.
As I passed high school and joined a well-reputed college, I had high hopes from this new phase of life; what would it have in store for me and how would I be able to realize my dreams of helping and uplifting people around me and making the world a better place to live. The dream started with joining a Whatsapp group of people who wanted to help the homeless from the biting cold. Couple of weeks passed in planning distribution of blankets all over the city, inviting people to come forward and donate. Sadly, the implementation part never actually materialized. This could have perhaps been due to the half-hearted effort of the group, including myself, who couldn't do enough to get the plan in action, be it for the lack of communication or setting things in perspective. The group died a silent death.
Months passed and I saw myself failing to doing what i had always dreamt of. Then I received a text from a friend about saving street dogs. I gleefully signed up for this society. People in this society comprised of students from various courses like B.tech and BBA. After some sessions with them, I realised my idea of saving street dogs was entirely different from theirs. Clicking selfies with street dogs, doing theatre and contests like treasure hunts were being organized to make people sign up for the cause. Almost everyone in the society was interested in knowing what certificate would be bestowed upon them. The need to get something to put on their C.V.'s made them join a random college club which "claimed" to help the street dogs of Delhi. This made me re-think my decision of joining the society as they all had ulterior motives which took prioriy over the charity itself. All that happened in the name of helping was posing in front of cameras and screaming for people to "come together". But I felt a void where I couldn't connect with people at all which eventually lead to my departure from that particular society. There can't be and shouldn't be any benefit of charities. The term "non-profit" in NGO's is self-explanatory. Charitable groups and organizations are started to help the needy, not to further the career or bank-balance of the people in charge.
This whole episode made me realise that doing little act of good is more powerful than a 2 hour long speech in front of thousands of people, a genuine act of affection will make people conscious of love the world needs not showing them something that others will find enduring enough to pursue. Spread the love without expecting anything in return if you really want to live in a place, a beautiful place that only you could imagine. Not being a member of any more societies and student's groups, I am helping more people and animals than I would have otherwise had. I would like to end this by leaving a picture of my dog whom I adopted an year ago loves me more than any human does.
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