By Volunteer Chandamita Bora, FHI Guwahati
It was a regular day at University. I was absent the day before, so I asked my friends about what all took place. The first thing they blurted out was about Fly Higher India – FHI. “There’s this amazing group of people working for underprivileged kids” said Sweta forwarding me the link to join on WhatsApp. “You just have to register and then you will get a call from Kongkana Baa. She will ask you a few questions, tell her that you’re Himadri’s friend. That’s it. The first event is in this month itself!” She almost squeaked out of excitement. I looked at my phone screen as the link popped up and muttered a small ‘thank you’, smiling to myself. All of a sudden, it felt like my life finally had some direction that it lacked for years. It felt like I had a purpose, to go on and contribute whatever little I can for the betterment of the society in some way. The day couldn’t have started any better.
Since my childhood, my parents have tried their utmost to imbibe values of selfless love and kindness. They have always been the first people to step up in anyone’s times of crisis and never let a needy hand go back empty from our home. Kids imitate whatever they see others doing, and I naturally imitated their acts. I learned to care for people who couldn’t give anything in return. I learned to donate my savings to NGOs. The Rs. 10000 I received for winning a state level Olympiad, the Rs. 5000 I received for securing 10 points in 10th std, and every other token of appreciation I have received for my writing – everything has been donated to charities, primarily for sick people. My mom is a cancer survivor and my dad is battling advanced Parkinsonism, so I’m naturally drawn towards charities helping people to fight their diseases.
Recently, I was planning to visit a centre for specially abled kids in my hometown and ask if I could volunteer during my holidays. That couldn’t happen due to some unavoidable circumstances, but FHI came my way – like a blessing amidst all the blights. Our lives are so stressful these days, being young adults. Unless we utilise the enormous amount of energy inside us, it ends up creating chaos in our minds. Engaging in activities that can prove to be fruitful for us and for others, seems to be the best idea. And that’s what FHI is all about – opening the doors to a world where we can, in the process of interacting with kids and teaching them various skills, learn important life lessons that will play a fundamental role in our growth as a human being and unlearn all the hatred and negativity taught to us by the toxic standards of the society.
As the bio on the Instagram page of FHI reads that they add value to the lives of underprivileged children, I’d like to add that value is added into the lives of everyone involved – it is such an enriching experience. Till now, I have been fortunate enough to attend only one event but I so eagerly look forward to reward myself by participating in many more.
May our souls keep flying higher, FHI being our wings.
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