Bhilwara Rajasthan Sangam University Celebrates Volunteering Day IVD 2012

Online, December 7, 2012 (Newswire.com) - A pessimist, they say, sees a glass of water as being half empty; an optimist sees the same glass as half full. When seeing a glass of water a voluntarist starts looking for someone who might be thirsty.

December 5th every year is observed as UN International Volunteer Day and IVD 2012 Theme is "Celebrate Volunteering". UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's message is "Founded on the values of solidarity and mutual trust, volunteerism transcends all cultural, linguistic and geographic boundaries. By giving their time and skills without expectation of material reward, volunteers themselves are uplifted by a singular sense of purpose."

Prof BR Natarajan President - Vice Chancellor Sangam University Bhilwara Rajasthan addressed the students emphasizing on the importance of the day and shared the following specially conveyed messages of two young men for whom Volunteering was indeed a Mission with Passion.

Keerthi Kiran Kanchanpally who is Cofounder of Youth Factor had earlier been with Ashoka India as Consultant and Program Director of Grassroutes. He is presently pursuing MBA at Fuqua School of Business, Durham, North Carolina, USA. December 17, 2011 issue of The Week Magazine had featured him as a youth name to reckon with. Keerthi who is a Proud alumnus of BITS Pilani conveyed that he takes his inspiration from the Aboriginal Activist group, Queensland, 1970s quote "If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." He sincerely believes that volunteering is service to self and that it helps to create a world that one is comfortable and happy living in.

Fulbright Scholar Tarun Cherukuri was a Teach for India Fellow and is presently pursuing his Masters at Harvard Cambridge School, Massachusetts USA. Tarun is a proud alumnus of BITS Pilani and IIM Bangalore who took up Volunteering as a Mission with Passion says "I feel humbled and I am more than happy to give my thoughts. I have still not progressed far enough in my public service journey to say something of my own with authenticity. So, I will take the help of two of my favorite quotes. John F Kennedy once said that - Of those privileged few, much is expected. Our responsibilities must be greater than our rights. Our obligations more than our needs. Our talents and character used for the greater good of mankind - . We all have had many privileges - great family, friends, good health and quality education to name a few, in a country where the odds of having all of them or at least some of them, are extremely low for the majority. I personally believe that if I could shake up those odds for good and give myself to the task of nation building, I will die a happy man. For those of you wondering what you can do as a college student, I will remind you on what Martin Luther King said famously about service - Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love - Enjoy your day. Go out, keep searching and find the nation building task that you can contribute to for this lifetime."

Prof Natarajan also urged the students to enroll as volunteers for Bhilwara2020 campaign.