I pondered on that for a long time.
My mother is a key member of the foundation, however that is not reason good enough for me to automatically devote my time as well. Either ways the domestic chores get filtered to me – the easy ones remain with my elder brother, like buying chicken, groceries and the serious ones like finding a plot to buy, hunting a house etc piles on my plate. Every time I complain about being dumped the tougher share of work always - my mother has a ready response from Guru Dutt’s times – Kya Maa apne bacchon ke saath fark kar sakti hain? Not in that many words actually, in fact not in Hindi either but that’s her implication more or less.
I was asked to find quotations for Solar Heaters for Vridhashray to be inserted in their estimate list which I surfed and shared standing at a bus stop waiting for my bus. I was asked to call the event Manager for first level discussion to organize a fund raising event with celebrities, which I comfortably forgot and got reminded two weeks later. By now, I was already being called an official volunteer, with my name being exchanged in MOMs.
I had no clue volunteering for Ramosara was that easy! Now I have my reasons:
· Giving back to the society is so much not like me, blame my age for the sense of aloofness and yet I was doing this with inexplicable ease.
· I hear someone is volunteering with web designing, and the Foundation has taken an oath almost the same time the Karnataka Chief Minister swore in the name of Truth (instead of God) not to pay the web designer.
· There is this prevailing guilt of indulgence, every time I shop something expensive and this voluntary thing for Ramosara, is such a psychological relief, I swear!
· I keep telling myself, I will donate when I have the real money, but as of now I am saving for Galaxy S4. And yet, deep down I know, I owe a little bit of selflessness to my old man.
· I can skip a buffet organic lunch for me and my friend to pay the individual membership fee of 1000/- which the foundation is collating to build the home but I will not as I am volunteering in other ways.
RSF never want the volunteers to pay any money, membership fee, not even the cost of a brick. A contact here, a call there, a story line for a blog, a reference, the official CSR’s name, an introductory note, cafeteria space, word of mouth, share their link on your social media profile, like their page to create awareness and they truly count upon such voluntary actions, more than anything else. One could even assist with a PPT or excel, a drawing in Auto CAD and how much time would that take, anyway?
Are you in?
*********
The author is a Health care professional in her early twenties.
Write to Ramosara.foundation@gmail.com to volunteer.
