Friends of Barak Valley re-unite for ‘niswarth seva’

For many people who were shaken and stirred by the havoc caused by the pandemic, the unprecedented times reinstated the need to give back to the families, communities, and the regions they belong to.

Deb runs an IT services company in the UK but is in close contact with his family back in India. Just like Guru, Subhrojyoti and Pranab who are in the US and do not let a day go without talking to their friends and families back home. The horrid stories of the disaster caused by the second wave reached them in no time. Arindam, Biswajit, Samik, Supriyo and Rajat, who are in India, experienced the crisis induced by the deadly virus first-hand.

What is common between these men? All of them hail from Barak Valley, located in the southern region of Assam, and are a part of the NIT Silchar Alumni association. They call themselves Niswarth Sevaks (selfless benefactors) and along with like-minded people from across the globe, are driving ‘Niswarth Seva Barak’ (NSB).

When TV channels were blaring news about crumbling infrastructure in the power cities of the country – Mumbai and Delhi, many were wondering about the extent of inefficiency in the forgotten areas of the country. Barak Valley would have been no different.

With this concern in mind, NSB stepped up to support healthcare operations in the region with the help of local partners and provided financial aid to construct the base for a scalable healthcare system. They assisted in mobilising support for setting up the second RTPCR lab at the Silchar Medical College (SMC). NSB team provided infrastructure, including AC units, Computers, Printers, UPS, Generator Sets in record time, to get the second lab fully operational. As per the SMC authorities, this helped them perform 1500-2000 tests per day, which was an imminent need during the second wave peak. The ‘sevaks’ were also involved in organising daily ration for underprivileged families in the area.

Call it altruism, philanthropy, charity, or community service, it’s beyond doubt that giving back to society is a deeply enriching experience as it is all about who you’ve lifted up, and who you’ve made better. The efforts of NSB were consolidated and funded at lightning speed, just because those who once grew up in the Valley, committed to give something back to it. The NSB team is now looking at expanding their vision to aid local administration and NGOs in directing any help and support to ease the impact of the pandemic and any future health crisis.