Amidst Negativity, RSS Shows the Positive Spirit

RSS Swayamsevaks have been rendering selfless service all across the country ever since the lockdown was implemented to stem the spread of Corona

Seva by Swayamsevaks during lockdown is spread across various categories like initiatives to create awareness, blood donation, distribution of food and essential items, distribution of ration and sanitisers, medical supplies and even making masks. However, even animals including stray cattle and dogs have not been neglected by the Swyamsevaks.

On April 6, 17,534 face masks made by RSS inspired Ekal Bharat’s 24 skill centres were distributed by volunteers in various areas of Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. Total 74,913 masks have been made till date.

In Kasravad in Madhya Pradesh, Self Help Groups of women in collaboration with RSS are making face masks for distribution to needy people. They have prepared more than 3000 masks till date and wish to make 5000 more masks soon.

Swayamsevaks have organised blood donation camps at various places in the country to ensure that the local blood banks can maintain their levels. With lockdown imposed, several blood banks had reported shortage of blood required for operations.

In Bengaluru, Swayamsevaks organised blood donation camps in several locations to help Rashtrothana Blood Bank. Such camps were organised at Vijayanagar, Bommasandra, Jayanagar, Kengeri, etc.

RSS volunteers in Delhi donated blood for needy people in Delhi on April 7. In Karimnagar, RSS local unit conducted blood donation camp on April 14th. RSS Swayamsevaks also organised blood donation camps in Chennai too.

RSS Swayamsevaks cleaned public premises, few residential areas with disinfectant spray and sanitised several localities at Hardoi, Avadh, Uttar Pradesh. Similar activities were undertaken in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and some areas in Delhi.

Seva of Swyamsevaks is not limited to humans alone. At Anjanadri hills near the world famous Hampi in Karnataka, Monkeys faced shortage of food due to absence of tourists during lockdown. Anjanadri hills is known as the place of birth of Shri Hanuman. Swayamsevaks arranged bananas and other fruits and formed a team. They then arrived at Anjanadri hills and served the same to the monkeys here.

Similarly, stray cattle and dogs have found it very difficult to survice during lockdown with almost no people feeding them. In Kantabanji Town in Odisha, RSS Swayamsevaks arranged a tempo with hundreds of watermelons. This was then fed to stray cows in the town by traveling to several areas. This endeavor of the Swayamsevaks of Kantabanji has won the hearts of people in the state.

RSS inspired organisation too have continued to distribute food packets, essential items, medical supplies and also helped stranded people with groceries.

Apart from Swayamsevaks, Sangh inspired organisations, affiliated groups and NGOs are also rendering yeoman service to the needy during this lockdown.

Sewa Bharati a Sangh inspired organisation is one of the first community organsations which reaches the distressed and needy during any emergency or calamity. From floods, earthquakes, man-made disasters to any other calamity, volunteers of Sewa Bharati are there to tend to the affected. Likewise, during the lockdown too Sewa Bharati Swayamsevaks have reached the unreached and helped those in distress.

Volunteers from Seva Bharati took up the tedious task of providing essential supplies to the residents of Khadar (flood plains) of Yamuna near Delhi. Since, reaching the location itself is difficult, the residents here were left in the lurch. Seva Bharati volunteers hired boats and delivered the goroceris and essential items to the needy here.

Villagers in several areas wer facing shortage of fruits and vegetables. Seva Bharati inspired Self Help Group members are providing door to door service to villagers in Pokhari, Simli and Chandrapuri cluster to supply farm produce.

Volunteers of Seva Bharati do not neglect any section of the society. The Seva Bharati team took up the task of assisting sex workers living in GB Road area in Delhi to mitigate the situation arising over lockdown. Sewa Bharati team went to the colony where almost 1,000 sex workers live and helped them with rations and essential items. The sex workers thanked Seva Bharati for their timely help without which they would have been in miserable condition.

Seva Bharathi Tirupur has been distributing food and ration to the needy in the town for the last 24 days without a break. The unit is also serving tasty breakfast which is hygienically cooked and packed by the Sevaks to the Sanitary staff members and other front-line service staffers everyday.

Sewa Bharati volunteers in Tirupur are engaged in home delivery of Aavin Milk, free ambulance service, groceries, vegetables medicines to door steps. They have also arranged blood donation camps for Government Head Quarters Hospital in Tirupur.

Elderly couple in Kondu Nagar area of Tirupur who were heart patients had run out of their daily tablets. Seva Bharati volunteers delivered the prescribed medicines in time. The elderly couple thanked and blessed the volunteers. They wish to honour the team after lockdown is withdrawn.

Seva Bharati Volunteers in Telangana distributed provisions to 22 families at Swami Vivekananda Nagar and Film Nagar areas. In Bhainsa town, volunteers are serving 7 villages which are spread between 10 – 12 km distance with food and essential items. They are also helping patients during emergency with transport to hospital and medications. Chronic patients are being delivered their regular medicines at their doorsteps.

In Telangana, Seva Bharati volunteers distributed meal packets and groceries to 65 people in a tribal village. About 45 families in the tribal village of Gundala Mandal had depleted their rations. Seva Bharati volutnteers distributed vegetables and other ration items to these tribal families.

Similarly, Seva Bharati volunteers identified and distributed food and essential commodities to 110 nomadic people living the areas of Medchal, Tupran, Anantharam, Hastalpur in Telangana.

One of the most affected during lockdown are the daily wage laborers who work as blacksmiths, mechanics, painters, etc. Many such families live in huts on outskirts of cities. Several such families living on the outskrits of Hyderabad were provided with food, essential items and groceries to last several days by Seva Bharati volunteers.

In Thrissur in Kerala, Seva Bharati along with like minded organisations is packing and distributing vegetables daily to hundreds of families affected by the lockdown in Adichinallur village area. Hundreds of volunteers are part of this daily routine which is on going for the last 4 weeks. Volunteers have formed teams to get fresh vegetables, to pack it in pre-decided portions and deliver it to locations earmarked for distribution. This initiative has ensured people staty at home and also helped people get fresh vegetables at their doorsteps.

In Bangalore, Sewa International in collaboration with BBMP is distributing free milk to over 3000-4000 families of daily wage labourers, auto drivers, workers stuck in ongoing apartment/other real estate projects and roadside vendors within Bangalore.

Seva Bharati is also co-ordinating with other foundations and liasoning with hospitals and service agencies to deliver essential items. In Hyderabad, Janahitha