Bhubaneswar: Volunteering makes one feel happier as it gives a sense of purpose and fulfilment, said ADGP (CID-CB) Arun Bothra.
Giving his keynote address as the guest of honour at the Yuva Utsav 2024 at SOA auditorium here Friday, the senior IPS officer said, “When you volunteer for a good cause, you feel happy within even though you did not do it for your sake. That’s the beauty of volunteering. It brings out that happiness and spreads it.”
The event was organised by the Bhubaneswar chapter of Young Indians (Yi), a youth wing of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Sharing his experience as a volunteer, especially in the context of online platform ‘India Cares’ which was launched during the Covid-19 pandemic, Bothra said the initiative has touched thousands of lives across the country.
“From medicine and food distribution to other medical aid, volunteers of India Cares stood hand-in-hand in enabling their fellow countrymen access critical healthcare and survive,” he said.
He went on to add that every day the Good Samaritans are working on the ground round-the-clock to address panic messages.
Speaking at a session titled ‘Volunteering as Way of Life’, Editor, Dharitri and Orissa POST, Tathagata Satpathy defined the basic meaning of the term ‘volunteer’.
“By taking part in someone’s initiative as a volunteer, you feel happy and it encourages others to do the same. Plants are life. What you do for environment reflects on you, and has an impact on you,” he said while highlighting the ‘Dharitri Youth Conclave’ initiatives.
On a lighter note, Satpathy said, “Even cow vigilantes who assault and kill drivers of vehicles are claiming themselves as volunteers. Hence, the meaning and practice of volunteerism in India has different perspectives altogether.”
Social leaders including the founder of ‘Swabhiman’, Shruti Mohapatra, founder, ‘Humara Bachpan Trust’, Dharitri Patnaik and founder of Bakul Foundation Sujit Mahapatra also shared their experiences of volunteerism at the session which was moderated by Chair of Yi Bhubaneswar, Sonal N More.
More than 600 students from various colleges participated in the day-long event.
PNN