K Venkata Ramana is always glued to the phone. No, it's not for the reasons you think. You see, the 25-year-old gets five to ten distress calls every day. Who are these distressed people and why are they calling him? Well, for the last five years, this young man has been the reason why all those in need of a blood transfusion — urgent or otherwise — and their families have held on to dear hope. Operating since 2016 and officially registered in January last year, SRR Helping Hands in Karimnagar, Telangana, has been involved in many social service activities, primary among them is blood donation and at the helm of it all is K Venkata Ramana. We spoke to the founder to find out the behind-the-scenes story.
Venkata was studying at SRR Government Arts & Science College and this is where the story begins because it was at this college that he joined the NSS (National Service Scheme) and developed a love for social service. Meanwhile, his friends, who are now his co-conspirators, discovered the same love in the NCC (National Cadet Corps). In each other, they found kindred spirits, right from when one of their friends' fathers was a victim of a gruesome accident and in dire need of blood. "We collected funds for him from friends at that time," says Venkata. That's where SRR Helping Hands started, they named the NGO after the college in a bid to pay homage to its origin. And till today, it is on the strength of the college network that the team is able to help every hapless person who calls them, within 30 minutes to an hour. "Blood is a business nowadays and it's sad. That's why we believe in giving blood to everyone," says the youngster passionately.
The team has also been organising seminars, blood donation camps and so on to banish the stigma around donating blood. But blood donation is not the only cause they have adopted. Tree plantation and feeding migrants are some of the other activities they pursue. In the pre-pandemic days, WhatsApp was their strong point, but now, they have stepped up their social media game too. Plasma donors are on their list. But personally, it has not been easy for Venkata who is pursuing a distance Master's degree in Math from Dr BR Ambedkar Open University. "My family has been concerned for me, especially during the ongoing pandemic," he says, sounding worried. But we are sure that they are equally proud of the service their son is rendering to society.
What else do they do?
- Prepared food for 200-300 migrants from April-May
- Rally for eco-friendly Ganeshas
- Donate money to the poor
- Donate medicines
For more on them, check out facebook.com/SRR-Helping-hands-100698074927761/
