Mission Siachen Volunteers at schools and colleges

After our visit to the shopping malls last weekend and experiencing a disappointing response, Sankalp volunteers turned to the Educational Institutions to spread out the word about Siachen and provide the young and the enthusiastic children an opportunity to show their gratitude to the soldiers at Siachen.

We had a lingering doubt if the small children will write out anything for brave soldiers. But we were proved wrong beyond any trace of slightest doubt. When we approached the Head of the Institutions, we received very good response from most of them. Though a few of them denied us permission to talk to the children, the others whom we met made up for our disappointment. The schools and colleges, which gave us permission were very enthusiastic about the idea and gladly accepted to conduct the event.

The teachers, whom we would have thought would not like it if we disturb their class, took the initiative and filled out some cards themselves. In some of the schools, the teachers took extra effort to organize the whole event of distributing, filling and collecting back the postcards to and from the students, and give them back to the volunteers. They did what they promised and got us beautiful hand-made postcards from the tiny tots at schools. We were happy to have met them and they were happy to lend a helping hand in our task. But in the colleges, we arranged for class talks and asked them to come and meet us at the stall we put up for a day in the premises. And we got similar good response from colleges.

Interesting incidents: A teacher did not believe us when we said the temperature at Siachen drops between –50 to –70 degree centigrade. She retorted saying “You girls must have got it wrong. I can’t believe such low temperatures can exist there. Are you sure it is not –15 to –17 degree centigrade?” We had to assure her that it was not the case. Another girl of 1st year pre-university was all interested in the details like, how will we send it to soldiers at Siachen, how are we posting it, how will we distribute it there among them and many more.

And a noticeable fact was that quite a few people we met had at least heard about Siachen. Few of them knew where it is situated. And there were people who had someone serving the Army in their family (either in Siachen itself or elsewhere). That was more encouraging for us. A girl explained all about the situation a soldier faces to her friend and made her write a postcard (she wrote 2 herself). When asked if she knew anyone in the Army, she said, “I know everyone in the Army. My father and brother are in the Army. My grandfather also served the Army.”

This week has been eventful. Following the response we received from the schools and colleges, we have been encouraged to approach more of such interested young minds, than sit in front of any big Mall the whole day waiting for a responsible citizen and adult to turn up and fill a postcard.