A group of students from St Xavier’s College, Kolkata, used their Puja holidays to bring the message of cleanliness to tribals in a remote village in West Bengal. “Xavier’s ka sapna, swachh rahe Bharat apna (Xavier’s dream, let our India be clean),” echoed the Howrah Railway Station on October 21 as some 40 Xaverians boarded the Shantineketan Express to go to Sibda, Ausgram, East Burdwan, some 130 km northwest of Kolkata.
The students got to meet the tribal community along with the minority community. After serious work during the day, the campers spent the evening in prayer, evaluation and entertainment. They also carried out camp duties such as preparation of food, cleanliness, and reporting. As reported by mattersindia.com, Nilayan Sen, who won the the best camper award among boys, said the camp “instilled some changes in my very being. I will no longer take the luxuries of my life for granted. I will give back to society as much as I can.” Principal Jesuit Father Dominic Savio said he was “very impressed and happy” with the students. He remarked that “I am extremely happy the way the NSS students went to the villages and spread awareness on cleanliness. I am sure the learning has been mutual and it will remain for a long time to come. St. Xavier’s is always committed to rural outreach works and I want to congratulate the NSS Team for carrying on the legacy of developmental work.”
The camp was held during the college’s Puja holidays under the banner of National Services Scheme in collaboration with Asansol-Burdwan Seva Kendra the social service wing of Asansol diocese.
Source: www.mattersindia.com
