ORM.
Sounds like a fluid replacement therapy or an operating
system developed by a techie doesn’t it? It’s not. It is a social welfare
initiative started by IIT Indore’s social welfare club, Avana. ‘One Rupee
Miracle’ (ORM) is an initiative where students of IITI donate one rupee a day, whose
collection is later used by Avana to fund activities like clothes donation,
food distribution, blanket donation etc. for the needy of Indore city.
The ORM initiative was started by a group of 2nd
year Computer Science students in 2012. Alok Kumar came up with the idea to
collect one rupee every day and his friends, Sri Yogesh Dorbala, Chetan Rawat
and Kaushik Barodiya helped him accomplish this dream. Yogesh said, “Previously,
we used to go to schools and orphanages with books
and chocolates, for which we paid from our own pockets, but after some time, we
couldn’t manage enough. The need to have a continuous source of funding gave
birth to ORM. The best thing about this initiative is that one rupee a day is
not a burden for an individual, but when put together, it becomes a substantial
amount.”
Yogesh, who
graduated in 2015, further mentions, “I remember watching movies at
orphanages, singing at old age homes, reading to school kids, setting up a
library at 2 government schools, cooking for the poor. The joy and happiness we
received in return was overwhelming.”
Volunteers of Avana collect 30 rupees at the end
of every month from students residing in IITI’s residential campus. A student
volunteer from every flat of 13 is responsible for the collection. The
volunteers then submit the gathered amount to the treasurer of Avana. The
contribution done by the institute ranges between Rs. 15,000 – 16,000 per month.
“It is startling to note that even one rupee a day can bring a substantial change.
Earlier we used to struggle with funds, but now we give gifts, educational
utilities, and basic amenities to the needy. We receive pure blessings in
return which is enough for me to be a lifelong supporter of Avana,” said a
member.
Another member of Avana said, “Some students complain
that our activities are not visible. We don’t publicise because we want to use
those funds for a cause better than advertising. However, we regularly update
students about our activities over email, as they are the donors whose funds we
are using.”
An Avana volunteer said, “We are active for
about 5-6 months of the year. We don’t collect funds during exams and holidays.
We are unable to devote enough time because of prior study commitments, but we
try to do the best with whatever time we have.”
He gives an example of a recent activity. “We
recently organised a traffic awareness drive for the people of Indore. We
coordinated with the Indore Traffic Police for the campaign.”