Gayathri K - Primary Short-listed Nominee - Social Volunteer Awards 2021

Human. Pursuing my bachelor's in biochemistry and industrial microbiology. If we wish to create or make a change, and then it should start from the individual. Young, energetic and enthusiastic person. Dedicated social volunteer and program coordinator, working for a good cause. Passionate in volunteering, art and nature photography and also more passionate with nature and environmental sustainability. Love to travel and explore the human kinda and the places. Kind of person who found joy in little things, and it means to me. I really love and wish to bring good & positive changes in the people who around me. Listening to people are one of the thing I really like to do and want to be good listener. Making some happy and knowing that they are because of me make me more happy, and I feel alive. Always tries to spread happiness, smile and love wherever I go with whom I am.

VOLUNTEERING FOR ME

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others" _ Mahatma Gandhi. Volunteering is the at the very core of being a human. Volunteering is something about sharing happiness and love with supporting and contributing to the people and to the surroundings for good cause with selflessness and growing together. Volunteering and being a volunteer is an opportunity to build new skills and knowledge, to learn unlearn and relearn the things properly.

VOLUNTEERING JOURNEY

I am a person, always curious about learning things and always tries to be energetic to do everything I can, to help the needy. As a volunteer and volunteering enhanced me as a person and made me feel better myself and made me a human to feel proud myself. The new world of different shades I go through, smiles that I bloomed on the surrounding faces, the knowledge I earned through it and the curiosity of learning and knowing people deeper, stories of humans inspired me in to the field of volunteering and to be a good volunteer. May it can be defined as my inner feelings that I cannot be expressed here through my words inspired me more and more and to do things and pushed myself to take another step forward to my happiness and vision. I am trying to do my best as I can, and I will. In fact while hearing this my mind and heart dates back to my up level of school and my social science sir I'm active in the school clubs like environmental clubs to contribute to the betterment of nature and to conserve the flora and fauna in the localities, and I am glad that, I can be part of many clubs in the 'up' level and high school level of my school period itself. At that time, I am inspired by my social science sir and her love and selfless work towards the nature for a good cause and teaching students the values of it. In those days, volunteering in me confined of these club activities I did with more joy, love and selflessly encouraged me to do more in the future. So that, I can say I started my volunteering journey in my 'up' level because of my curiosity. But here it is to be mentioned that there exists a cliff between the nature of volunteering I'm done during my school days and the volunteering service extended by me during past three years.

VOLUNTEERING STORY

I am born and raised up in a middle-class family. In school days i always wished to be part and active at the works. Iam a active participant even though i missed several good opportunities to explore amd learn things from experience. At that my parents always told me like 'you are a girl and you are meant for that, we can't let you go to places because you are a girl and we are afraid of letting you to do and go ' and second thing is the Financial stability. And all of these restricted me to became who iam and always misss the opportunities, i can't able to speak up against my parents at that time. Even though i participated and volunteered in many clubs that are active at school and i always enjoyed it mostly the environmental club. Im the kind who love the nature and the environment and always wished to do good and gave it back something to it

Volunteering unknowingly begin in my life through the active participation and being part of many clubs in the 'up' level and high school level of my school period itself. At that time iam inspired by my social science teacher ( Sunandhan) and his love and selfless work towards the nature for a good cause and teaching students the values of it and he is one my favourite teacher too. Without mentioning him my volunteering journey will never complete. In those days volunteering in me confined of these club activities, i did with more joy,love and selflessly encouraged me to do more in the future..So that i can say i started my volunteering journey the story in my 'up' level because of my curiousity. But here it is to be mentioned that there exists a cliff between the nature of volunteering i done during my school days and the volunteering service extended by me during past three years. After two year of gap in the activities again i enter in to volunteering field in the first year of my bachelor's degree period. It started again with NSS (2019) , one of my wish from early at school period. As part of nss i can able to be actively participate in the different fields. At the time of flood and after worked for the needy. Part of the campaign home for homeless and able to build a house for economically backward family whose house get damaged by the flood. Coordinated different sessions in the college related to nss, health, wetland conservation, sdg's, palliative training and many more. Handled the position coordinator of BMC (bhoomithra sena club) directorate of environment and climate change, govt of Kerala And as In UBA in college level. I acquired great privilege by getting chance to serve NSS volunteer secretary ( 2020-2021) Fortunately i got an opportunity to be a part (participant) of the 7-8 days of residential program RISE ( rural immersion for social Empowerment) conducted by the gulmohar foundation, Vithura grama panchayat , UBA ( unnat Bharath abhiyan, ministry of human Developement, govt of India) IISER Tvm. I can say it is one the most important turning point in my life and in the volunteering field. As part of RISE, i can work with vithura grama panchayat for green vithura project. Those 7 days iam learning and discovering myself more than the earlier times. It was the opening door for me towards more volunteering paths outside the college premises. It will be not fair if i didn't men