The NSS BPHC at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad campus worked to improve their service activities and outreach. They implemented many new and unique activities in the 2015-2016 academic year, including computer literacy programs, debates, movie screenings, and visits to disabled homes and orphanages. Some of their events included Independence Day celebrations, NSS Day celebrations, and a blindfold walk for World Sight Day. They also conducted internship drives, computer literacy programs, Republic Day celebrations and village surveys, started a "Grama Seva" initiative, and a Social Innovation Cell. Their outreach grew substantially over time as evidenced by increasing blood donation drives. Their goal was to serve all sections of society innovatively

1. NSS BPHC: Our Journey
At the beginning, we found ourselves in an awkward quandary when
we took over from the previous Team. Whether to continue with the
traditional NSS events such as tree plantation, Blood Drives and
Campus Cleaning Drives, or try to inculcate new ideas that would be
helpful in improving our sphere of service and re-branding. After
much deliberation and discussions we came up with a single point
agenda for the academic year 2015-16. “Serve all the sections of
society innovatively”.
In an attempt to engage commitment from those people who will be
affected by our plans and to set long term strategic objectives for
improved performance of the organization by generating strategic
options for wide outreach of our activities we started with many new
and unique activities this academic year.
Few of them were CLP (Computer Literacy Programme) where we
educated young children on Computer, GRAM SEVA, Socio-Techno
Entrepreneurship is the way forward and for that we came up with
the idea of Socio Innovation Cell, Debates, Movie screenings, Blind
Fold Walk, Collection Drive, and Guest Lectures were the new
additions apart from the conventional events we organised every
year. A visit to home for disabled and Orphanage were also organised
for the first time to spread awareness. We also organised an Annual
day Celebration. To stretch our sphere of service we collaborated
with Institutions like Devnar school for blind, SOCH, CARPED, which
resulted in providing x number of internships to the students of BPHC.
Organic Holi colour stalls and crackers for cause where one person
can make a difference and everyone should try. Ending is the new
beginning and 15-16 Team of NSS-BPHC would like to thank all the
volunteers for an eventful year that would not have been a possibility
without them and like to wish the new Team luck. The path we had

2. chosen was a rare one and the results would surely take time but it is
the journey that makes all the difference.
Let’s get into the details of few such events we did.
NSS Independence Day event: We performed a Stage Play on Social
problems and also organised the Independence Day celebrations
in the Thumkunta High School. Prizes were awarded to the students
who excelled in sports and education. We rallied along the streets of
Thumkunta village emphasizing the importance of 'Swach Bharat’,
'Tree Plantation’, 'Girl Education' and 'Nava Bharat Nirman'. Around
70 NSS Volunteers participated in the rally. Finally, it’s a wonderful
day of patriotism and service.
NSS Day Celebrations: For the first time in BPHC, we started NSS Day
celebrations. NSS Volunteers participated in Debate, Drama, Dance
and Music events. That was much of fun and followed by movie
screening for the first time in Open Air Theatre.
NSS BPHC - World Sight Day
There are several things that we all take for granted every day and
vision is one of those. But why wouldn't we, we have never known
otherwise. The blindfold walk was to help us know that otherwise.
The Devnar School for the Blind in association with Saijyothi Eye
Hospital organised a walk at People's Plaza, Necklace Road on
Sunday, 4th October, for which over a 100 volunteers went from
BPHC, co-ordinated by NSS BPHC chapter. 8th October is observed as
World Sight day to spread awareness about blindness and vision
impairment.
Our day started with dragging ourselves and some friends out of the
beds at an unearthly hour to get ready at start from campus by 5 am.
To the night owls out there, let me tell you, it was definitely worth
that, and a lot more too. The journey from here to Necklace Road,
through the woods, sun peeking through the trees and clouds,
angelic.

3. We reached there around 6:30 am where we joined the students of
Devnar, and other volunteers from companies like Accenture and
such. The volunteers would blindfold themselves and walk along with
the visually challenged, holding hands. The concept was to make us
aware of the impact blindfolding made even if momentarily, while to
the students, it was a support to their psyche- a silent statement of
empathy.
NSS Winter Vacation Work/Internship Drive:
We collaborated with few NGOs working in the city. Few of them
were
1) To Make a Difference:
2) SOCH
3) CHORD INDIA
4) SPHOORTI
5) CARPED
Computer Literacy Program: Today, technology is growing at an
exponential rate and there is a great demand for people who know
basic computing. Computer Literacy Programme (CLP) is one such
initiative of NSS, BITS Pilani to provide basic computer literacy to the
school children of nearby villages, who don’t have access to any
computer education. We work to impart computer education to the
govt. school students. The focus is on teaching by relating the work to
real life examples. This enhances the learning of the students.
Republic Day Celebrations & Survey in Anthaipally Village:
NSS Volunteers, participated in a rally which was accompanied by the
local school children in Thumkunta village. Basically rally emphasized
the importance of Swach Bharat. Next to that, all NSS Volunteers
were involved in conducting the survey in the nearby village. Survey
dealt with basic facilities and livelihood of the villagers. In this survey,
we were exposed to know some harsh realities of life of few sections
of the village. There were many problems related to sanitation,

4. health, pension, regional politics, caste discrimination, lack of
government support etc.
All of these problems pose considerable obstacles to those who call
for an ethic of the common good. Still, appeals to the common good
ought not to be dismissed. For they urge us to reflect on broad
questions concerning the kind of society we want to become and how
we are to achieve that society. They also challenge us to view
ourselves as members of the same community and, while respecting
and valuing the freedom of individuals to pursue their own goals, to
recognize and further those goals we share in common.
This made us to act on a serious note and we started our new
initiative “Grama Seva” by which NSS volunteers visit the village on a
weekly basis and work in all possible ways to make their life easy.
Social Innovation Cell: We would be working on various projects and
various design methods such as persona, scenarios, entity mapping
and system thinking so that these are well discussed and
experimented. We would also be working a lot through various
models of successful products and their implementation possibilities
in the social arena.
Medicine at your Neighbours door: Sometimes during night,
whenever we are ill, suffering with fever or severe head ache, acidity
or etc. We don't find a medical assistance late night.
And sometimes, although the Medical Shop is open, we find it very
difficult to walk all the way to CP and again walk back.
So, NSS BPHC launched its new initiative for on campus students
regarding this Medical Help.
Many students on campus at least will have one or many medicines
with them. We connect the people who don't have the required
medicine to the person who has it.

5. We also did few other successful events like ‘Cracker for a Cause’, NSS
Tree Plantation Drive, International Anti-Corruption Day Debate,
Sahara Collection Drive.
The quality of the outreach can be clearly proved in the statistics of
NSS BPHC - Blood Donation Drive:
During ATMOS’14 – 61 Donated
During PEARL’15 – 76 Donated
During ATMOS'15 - 129 Donated
During ARENA'16 - 190 Donated (Best since the establishment of the
college)
Also we did events like NSS Annual Day Celebrations in Anthaipally
School, “Donation for disabled” for the “Home for Disabled”, Stalls
for Organic Colour, Campus cleaning Drive, Fun Day at “Home for
Disabled”.
Most human beings want to be part of something larger than
themselves. They crave moral purpose and social solidarity. If we
overlook this, we fail to understand the means and meaning of social
progress.
Thank you.
Bhanu Prakash Reddy,
President, National Service Scheme (2015-16).
BITS Pilani, Hyderabad.