In my college career I took two extra academic activities. 1. National Service Scheme, and 2 Mathematical Society with teachers of Mathematics of Newbarrackpore , Madhyamgram and Barasat.
The first one took a longer time than the second one. Morover, it was official and having financial benefits and the second one , is purely non-official and voluntary, a NGO type , to afford benefits to the under graduate students.
The National Service Scheme (NSS) is an Indian government-sponsored public service program conducted by the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India. Popularly known as NSS, the scheme was launched in Gandhiji's Centenary year, 1969. Aimed at developing student's personality through community service, NSS is a voluntary association of young people in Colleges, Universities and at +2 level working for a campus-community linkage. The cardinal principle of the NSS programme is that it is organised by the students themselves, and both students and teachers through their combined participation in community service, get a sense of involvement in the tasks of nation building.
After showing my willingness to the College authority they appointed me as the teacher-in-charge of NSS in 1970. I had under an orientation in respect of this job. The programme undertaken
1. Week end programme,
2. Holiday Camp of the college unit, and
3. Central camp (individual unit or Joined with other college)
the following programmes were undertaken.
Community service rendered by university and +2 level students has covered several aspects like adoption of villages for intensive development work, carrying out the medico-social surveys, setting up of medical centres, programmes of mass immunization, sanitation drives, adult education programmes for the weaker sections of the community, blood donation, helping patients in hospitals, helping inmates of orphanages and the physically handicapped etc. NSS volunteers did commendable relief work during natural calamities/emergencies such as cyclones, floods, famine, earthquake, etc. From time to time all over the country. The NSS students have also done useful work in organising campaigns for eradication of social evils, and popularization of the nationally accepted objectives like nationalism, democracy, secularism, social harmony and development of scientific temper.
