Everyone wants to be associated with a good cause to boost their image, but seldom do we find people who actually care about making a difference in the world. Satish Kumar and Nagappan R M, graduates from Presidency College, Chennai are two such people with the firm belief that they could bring about a change in the society. Initially, the duo were donating their pocket money to Udavum Karangal, but in 2008, they went on to set up Chennai Social Service (CSS), an NGO that helps organise people to volunteer at various underprivileged sections of the society. The organisation has over 2,000 online and over 200 on-field volunteers, who believe in sharing their lives with others, emulating the NGO’s motto — Share your Living.
To achieve maximum reach, the activities of CSS revolve around five different teams that contribute in different sectors. Aravanaipu meaning ‘embrace’ in Tamil, is the team that chiefly supports the elderly with food and basic necessities. Red Drops works towards saving people’s lives by acting as a bridge between blood donors and recipients. “The team organises blood donation drives and sources donors of rare blood groups for government hospitals,” informs Akshayaa S, a volunteer at the organisation. The third team, Nalanda works in the field of academics by infusing children with moral values. To reinforce the work done by this team, Nagappan R M, Co-Founder of the NGO and an integral cog in their machinery says, “Children are the backbone of our society and they live in an environment where there is both good and bad.”
To help those visually challenged achieve their potential, the V-Scribe team organises Vegam, an annual sports competition for differently abled children, motivating them to participate in sports, so that they do not feel secluded. The last and the oldest team, Environment Care Group (ECG) is the environment-conscious wing of the organisation.
