While most engineering students are bogged down with the weight of heavy textbooks and are confined to a tight academic schedule, here is Niveditha V who chose to live a different life. The final-year engineering student at Yellamma Dasappa Institute of Technology has been actively involved with the NGO, Youth For Seva (YFS) for the last six months, trying to make the society better.
“In my sixth semester I saw a banner of YFS inviting volunteers. At the same time, I saw around me a society that was in need. I felt dutiful to approach the NGO and become a volunteer. That is how my acquaintance with YFS started,” says Niveditha.
Starting with small-time community-based activities to more responsible ones, Niveditha believes that she has come a long way, in that she has become a better person. “I have observed that my confidence has improved, and my communication skills have become better. As for now, I teach computers at local government schools,” she says.
According to her, the best part about her relationship with YFS is that it never compromises with her engineering studies. “It has never come in the way of my studies. The best part is that I can choose programmes that are near my house, so it is never a problem. Besides, I believe that if you want to do something, you will make time for it,” believes Niveditha.
Apart from teaching computers to school kids, Niveditha is also doing a stint with Saksham, an NGO that facilitates audio recording for the visually-impaired. “I help blind students record themselves, and also process the recorded material,” she says. While social service is not a potential career option for her, she is firm that volunteering for various causes would continue. “Even after I start a professional career, I want to take time off to volunteer. I am confident of that,” says Niveditha.
Bharath Joshi Express News Service
http://expressbuzz.com/education/seva-for-a-better-society/364784.html