Vidya Bharati alumni from Madhya Pradesh and Volunteer at Nehru Yuva Kendra shares how the lessons taught to him by his school inspired him to serve the society

A socially conscious ,well educated youth population is one of the greatest assets that a country can have. They are the change makers, the dreamers and innovators that can lead a country to the next level of development. It is known to many that India as a nation has the advantage of having one of the largest youth populations in India, but sadly a lot of the potential is left untapped due to various social,educational and economic factors. Further, it seems that there is a dearth of common platforms where the youths can come together and share their work, views and plans towards social and national development.

One such rare institution that is helping to make the voices of Indian youth heard is Nehru Yuva Kendras, under Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan. It was established in 1972 with the objective of providing rural youth avenues to take part in the process of nation building as well providing opportunities for the development of their personality and skills. In the year 1987-88, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) was set up as an autonomous organization under the Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, to oversee the working of these Kendras. NYKS is the largest grassroots level youth organization; one of its kind in the world. It channelizes the power of youth on the principles of voluntarism, self-help and community participation.

Vidya Bharati schools have always laid great stress on developing socially conscious citizens who are aware of their responsibilities towards their country at large. As a testament to this philosophy, most of the Vidya Bharati alumni turn out to be very active in the field of social and national service. One such exemplary alumni is Rishi Namdev, an alumni of SVM Bhander, Datia, Madhya Pradesh.

Rishi’s father was an ‘Acharya’ in Vidya Bharati school, and both he and his younger brother gained their education in Vidya Bharati schools. Growing up in a family steeped in the rich values of Vidya Bharati, Rishi has been aware of his social, cultural and moral responsibilities from a very young age, which was further reinforced by his teachers during his school days.

Rishi has been associated with numerous social work projects from a very early age, but wanted it to take it to a bigger platform. It was then that the 2017 B.Sc graduate from Jiwaji University, Gwalior, heard about volunteering opportunities put forward by Nehru Yuva Kendra. To become a part of the organization, he had to list all his social service projects that he had been involved with till date. Seeing his impressive track record, he was selected as a volunteer. Presently he has to serve with the organisation for 2 years. 

During his tenure with NYKS, Rishi has worked on social projects related to Health, Hygiene and Sanitation, Cleanliness drives, maintenance of temples and holy places, organizing public events honoring national heroes, environmental protection campaigns and much more.

Talking about the impact that his school has had on his life so far, Rishi thanked his teachers for teaching him the importance of moral values and life of service. He feels he got an ideal education that no other school could have provided him with.

Vidya Bharati Purv Chatra Parishad thanks Rishi Namdev for sharing his inspirational story with the community and wishes him all the best for his future endeavours.

If you are a Vidya Bharati alumni and associated with any kind of social/ cultural or national service work, kindly fill you details at https://www.vidyabharatialumni.org/social-service-survey

And we would love to share your story.