DRIVING AWAY THE DARKNESS OF IGNORANCE…

This is the entry I sent in for the 300 word online writing contest titled, 'Social Journalist Contest', conducted as part of Saarang, the cultural festival of the IIT - Madras. It was a nice experience to be writing with constraints (word limit:300 words).I don't know if this article feels complete and all, but what is more important is that CEG has given me a deep perspective on the social issues and helping others. My sincere thanks to all the members of the Leo Club of CEG, without whom I would not have been a part of the club, and in turn, wouldn't have been able to write an entry for the contest. Please stuff in your comments and feedback.

Last but not the least, I secured third place in this contest and has been given an internhsip with 'The Logical Indian'. So, here is what I actually wrote:

DRIVING AWAY THE DARKNESS OF IGNORANCE…

         Would anyone believe that there exists an unknown kingdom of Narnia right behind College of Engineering Guindy (CEG), Anna University? This Narnia – SURYA NAGAR – is easily one of the most backward regions of Chennai, with people suffering a great deal for their day-to-day survival. The most luxurious house here is something which is slightly bigger than a hut. There are rarely students who study beyond school.

         Financial assistance to the downtrodden may be of temporary help but the long term solution would be to uplift the weaker sections of the society. So taking the words of one of the old women of Surya Nagar, “Students from various parts of the state come and study at Anna University. We, who live right behind the campus, aren’t able to send in one of our children into the institution” seriously, the students from the college are working towards improving the educational standards of the budding citizens at Surya Nagar. These students, who are members of the Leo Club of CEG, along with the help of Client Network Services India (CNSI), a private company, are striving hard for the cause of this forbidden kingdom by organizing tuition classes by trained teachers; they also visit the area on a rotational basis to train the students personally. And, they have partially achieved their goal, as Surya Nagar achieved for the first time the rare milestone – All those who appeared in the board examinations came out with flying colors during the academic year 2014 - 15.

         This is also the first instance that someone from Surya Nagar has scored over 90% in the Boards, as Ashwini, a Commerce student has scored 1143/1200. Cultural events are also organized to make the students come out of their shell and enjoy lighter moments with bliss.

Video link for the feedback from Surya Nagar people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-psPnmCekc&feature=youtu.be

Drive link for the photos: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9uKT86ox0GoNE5uazhicWp5RVk&usp=sharing