“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
-Mahatma Gandhi.
Before I unfold my story, there is a question for all the readers out there whoever is trying to know me through my words. What do you love to do most? Something that makes you happy or something which outcome gives you immense pleasure and thrill to do more. In my case, it’s quite different — I love to do stuff that brings a smile to others’ faces. With my little help, if a problem can be solved in someone’s life, I am always up for it.
Yes, here I am talking about one of my hobbies -besides reading and writing, I love to do volunteering.
Volunteering means giving our time and power to aid others without expecting any financial benefits in return. In a simple context, it’s the most selfless job where you are serving your community selflessly. In Indian culture and tradition, volunteering is a part of history. We always complain about many issues in our lives, which affect our society. People always blame others for any kind of annoying situation, but it’s necessary to understand that as a citizen it’s we who can make or break society. If we want to bring the changes, it’s in our hands and there is no need to point it out to others or our government in many cases.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. It was Mahatma Gandhi who justified the true meaning of volunteerism in India by correlating the concept with human development. Working for deprived human beings selflessly was another part of this.
This concept has had a huge impact on my life including my personality. During my graduation in 2016, for the first time in Guwahati and Shillong, India — the 12th South Asian Games took place. I was privileged to be a part of this event, not only because it was one of the biggest events that happened in Guwahati, but also because it introduced me to a different world. The opportunity made me realize what I want to do in my life, where my happiness lies, and most importantly it’s a world where if you enter once -there is no coming back.
After that event, there was no looking back. I also volunteered in Brahmaputra Literary Festival, in 2017 and 2019, and last but not least in Jeevan Kite River Festival, in 2021. The memories are unforgettable as they imprint in my heart by switching me to a person about whom I was not aware before.
It’s quite strange, right? I am quite shy and don’t love to speak much, and sometimes I’m afraid to talk to others. But when you are around some unknown people, who don’t know your strength or weakness it’s the best place to build your confidence. I am now quite impressed with myself as nowadays wherever or whatever the situation is, I can easily fit myself.
After reading my thoughts, you may think volunteering is an easy task, but no it’s not. The people who work in the field are very much aware of the situation. You have to perform all the tasks you are assigned within time. You have to prepare yourself for a mindset where you have to tackle any problem. A calm, intelligent and aware mind is always needed to handle the worst situation. Even if the situation goes out of control, no one should panic and try to solve it calmly. As we all know every problem has its solution, then why can’t we find it? Do you want to acquire leadership qualities? Go for volunteering. It will bring out the best in you. Being a journalism student I was introduced to Public Relations and its crisis management part, which attracted me a lot. I found similarities with volunteerism. To handle a crisis, we always need the presence of mind, and somehow I am quite familiar with it. It will be a never-ending talk about this concept as it makes you capable in every way.
Nevertheless, I want to discuss the most important point here. Most of the time people complain “Why do we have to learn another language? Why can’t we do our stuff in our mother tongue Assamese?” It’s a never-ending debate, however, my point is if people from outside like foreign countries or any other parts of India come to our place — will they understand our culture if we explain them in Assamese? Communication is one of the crucial parts of volunteerism and if you are not good at communicating if you are not interested in learning new or any common languages you are doomed. Have we ever thought about how rich we are culturally and in other aspects? But very few people know about the North-Eastern states or the place I belong. Sometimes I feel, a lack of communication skills and “why should we talk in other languages?” Kind of attitude affects us a lot. Language is the key to introducing your culture to the world. Apart from our mother tongue, we should learn another language too for our better good. The concept of volunteerism will make you understand everything.
Sometimes our parents don’t want us to do stuff outside till late. As it’s the place where we meet so many new people, and only a few are known to you. So it’s always up to us how we convince them. Once they realize we are safe and doing stuff for others’ good, they will not stop us at any cost. I always wanted to thank my parents for allowing me to volunteer whenever I wanted to.
Now meeting new people, and making new friends has become my hobby, and working with unknown people as a team gives me super thrills and excitement. Every person has a different personality. Coping with each one within a small period is a big task. You may not love everyone but you have to work as a team. It is not any different from doing a job and dealing with various people. However, the sole priority of this concept is how patiently we complete our duties towards the people we are implied to.