The National Service Scheme (NSS) is an Indian government-sponsored public service programme conducted by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The Government of India launched the NSS scheme in Gandhiji’s Centenary year 1969. Aimed at developing students’ personality through community service, the NSS is a voluntary association of students in higher secondary schools, colleges, and at universities working for strengthening a campus-community linkage.
Contact
Prof.Biswanath Mudi
NSS Programme Officer
Email: biswanath.mudi@nirmauni.ac.in
Email: nss_iapnu@nirmauni.ac.in
Project Uplift: Essential Product Donations for Schoolchildren
Organizers: NSS UNIT – Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University, and Manav Sadhna
Program Title: Project Uplift: Essential Product Donations for Schoolchildren
Participants: 98 Students
Location: Manav Gulzar, Ahmedabad
Faculty Coordinator: Dr. Tanushri Mokde Kamble
NSS Program Officer, IAPNU: Prof. Biswanath Mudi
Program Overview
The collaborative effort between NSS UNIT – Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University, and Manav Sadhna aimed to uplift school children by providing essential product donations.
Activities Undertaken (Aug – Dec 2023)
Key Learnings for Students
– Problem-Solving Techniques: Developed effective problem-solving skills.
– Soft Skill Improvement: Enhanced various soft skills crucial for professional growth.
– Empathy Building: Cultivated empathy for societal needs.
– Architectural Contribution: Explored the architectural perspective in contributing to society.
– Connecting People and Society: Overcame challenges, highlighting the interconnection between people and society.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Mr. Ajay Sir and Vaishali Mam for continuous support, sharing key knowledge, and cooperation.
Overall Outcome
– Nurturing Social Responsibility through Architectural Process
– Holistic Approach to Soft Skills Development
– Impactful Insights for Architecture and Construction Industry
Future Architectural Impact
This social work program equips future architects by:
– Instilling Social Responsibility: Fosters a sense of duty towards societal well-being.
– Enhancing Design Thinking: Encourages creative problem-solving for future projects.
Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University have successfully completed a 7-day NSS Residential Camp at Vautha village near Dholka from 25th to 31st Dec., 2022.
The details of the camp are as follows:
NSS Unit: Institute of Architecture and Planning
Date: 25-31 Dec. 202
Village: Vautha village, Dholka Taluka, Ahmedabad District
Programme Officer: Prof. Jitendra Menghani
Faculty at Camp (on rotational basis ): Jitendra Menghani, Bishwanath Mudi, Nishant Kansagra, Jaishree Mishra
No. of NSS Volunteers: 43 (Boys & Girls)
Activities Undertaken:
Informal village survey and documentation, educational graphics for the primary school and anganwadi, Art & Craft activity for village kids, making public graphic for the village community, save water awareness drive, programme for wellbeing & health of women and interaction with village youth through a game of cricket.
Students undertook all activities with great enthusiasm and in a disciplined manner. Director of IAPNU visited the camp on 30th Dec. evening and appreciated all the work undertaken by students. The Sarpanch, principal of primary school, officers of anganwadi and health centre and village folk of Vautha have liked and appreciated work done by student volunteers of IAPNU. Based on experience of this camp, we are eager to further engage with the community at Vautha with more activities in coming months.
1)Workshop with Manav Sadhna(10th March,2022)
On the 10th of March 2022, the 3rd day of Kalp’22 (a festival held by the students of IAPNU), children from Manav Sadhana were invited to the IAPNU.Some students of IAPNU accompanied and also acquainted the children with the field of Architecture and Planning. They also made them do some fun and learning activities like making things from origami paper.It was a fun-filled day for the children with lots of learning.
1)Social work Activity(1st Jan. to 30th Apr., 2021)
The student volunteers were asked to perform any social work activity in their vicinity. Volunteers undertook activities like donation of food items and medicine, Cleaning of public areas, animal welfare, making and distribution of masks, etc. Below pasted pictures are examples of some activities undertaken.
2)Product using Plastic / paper waste(29th Jan 2021)
NSS Volunteer designed useful products from house waste of plastic and paper. The idea was to share these products and methods of recycling with the rag-picker community in Ramapir no Tekro as they are already involved in recycling of waste like plastic bottle. Collaboration with Manav Sadhna NGO helped in outreach and contact with the community. Few examples of recycled plastic and paper waste can be seen below.
3)Recce visit to Manav Sadhna for future collaboration(1st March 2021)
A recce visit was conducted at Manav Sadhna Centre at – Gandhi Ashram and Ramapir no Tekro by the Director, IAPNU and 2 other faculty members – Prof. Jitendra Menghani and Prof. Digisha Mehta involved in NSS along with volunteers from the NGO. Purpose of the visit was to discuss future NSS related activities in collaboration with Manav Sadhna.
4)Posters for Covid’19 Vaccination awareness drive (1st Jan to 30th Apr. 2021)
Posters were designed by volunteers and shared with their community for awareness of Covid Vaccination drive. Some sample posters are pasted below.
1)Visit to Vautha Village, Dholka Taluka, Ahmedabad
A group of 90 NSS student volunteers of Institute of Architecture and Planning, First year, visited village Vautha, in Dholka Taluka of Ahmedabad district on 1st February 2020. They were accompanied by 3 faculty members of the Institute including Prof Jitendra Menghani, Prof Digisha Mehta and Prof Nishant Kansagara.
Vautha is a small village with a population of around 2056 located at the Dholka Taluka in Ahmedabad district at the banks of the meeting of rivers Sabarmati and Vatrak. It is well known for holding the largest animal fair in Gujarat from Kartik agyaras to Kartik Poonam of the Hindu calendar. During this fair people from far off places come and stay here in the camp for 5 days with their families.
This village is considered to be holy spot owing to the confluence of 7 rivers Vatrak, Meshwo, Hathmati, Shedhi, Majum, Khari and Sabarmati at this village. The locals call this as Saptasangam. The place also holds religious and mythological significance as it is believed that Katrikeya, son of Lord Shiva visited the site on Kartiya Poonam during his journey round the earth. It is also believed that the Pandavas spent the last year of their exile in disguise here.
The trip started with a brief introduction to the village at the primary school of the village by the Sarpanch Mr Hitendrasingh Vaghela and the principal of the school Ms. Bhartiben. They welcomed the students to the village and introduced them to its rich history. They briefed about the various Faliyas of the village, major occupations, and major landmarks etc of the village and all other important aspects of the village.
After this brief introduction students distributed themselves into groups and made a preliminary survey of the various faliyas of the village to develop an overall understanding of the village and its people. They also visited the Mela ground and ended the trip at the Bhathuji temple located near the banks of the river.
2)Workshop for identification of Native Trees :
A workshop for identification of Native Trees and their importance in urban life was conducted with the NSS student volunteers of first year, Institute of Architecture and Planning, faculties Prof. Jitendra Menghani & Prof Digisha Mehta with the in-house help of subject expert Prof. Shweta Suhane from IAPNU on 7th March 2020. The aim of this workshop was to sensitize students towards Native Plantation and Environment. Experts Shri. Nagendra Purohit & Mrs. Jagruti Bhatt who are horticulturist / botanist, & freelance Consultants actively involved in gardening & environment awareness campaigns were invited. The workshop began with a discussion on the importance of Trees and Native Plantation by Shri. Nagendra Purohit. He shared various stories of flora and fauna & sensitised students with the importance of biodiversity & knowhow of respecting Nature. This was followed by a walk in the Nirma campus along with the experts where they briefed about the various plants in the campus, their features, importance, the various birds and animals that prefer to live or depend on them. Further students planted ten nos. Tabebuia rosea plant species as a gap filling of trees with the help of Mr. Dilip Prajapati, horticulturist of the Nirma University. The session ended with a brief discussion with the expert Mrs. Jagruti Bhatt who briefed on the various types of native plants existing here and their importance. The students were enriched with the responsibility to do their bit of increasing the handprints to safeguard the environment.
3)Constitution Day Celebration
As part of constitution day, student volunteers participated in an online event wherein advocate Dr. Vikas Upadhyay gave a brief introduction of the constitution and its preamble. The preamble of the Constitution was read by all and an oath was taken by all participants to become responsible citizens of the country and abide by the Constitution of India. The event was a joint event of IAPNU and the Design department. Screen shots of the online event can be seen below.
4)Social work Activity / Work with NGO or Webinar(18th June to 12th Oct. 2020)
Student volunteers were asked to either participate in a webinar related to any social cause or perform any social work activity. Activity was to be performed in collaboration with or getting associated with any NGO as per their convenience. Volunteers were encouraged to engage with their immediate surroundings and near vicinity for safety and precaution during pandemic times. Some sample certificates of engagement with organisations for extension activities can be seen below.
A Seven-Day Special NSS Camp by IAPNU at Dandi, Navsari
The NSS volunteers of Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University from 2017(A) batch, successfully undertook the seven-day special NSS Camp starting December 23, 2019, at historic Dandi village near Navsari. Student volunteers were guided by programme officer Ar Jitendra Menghani and faculty members Prof Digisha Mehta and Prof Paritosh Kumar. Volunteers undertook activities like popularising Dandi beach through attractive and interactive Graffiti, Installation of graphical Map of Dandi, Art workshop in primary school, Art competition for awareness regarding Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and providing support to the activities of local women self-help groups (Mahila Mandal). Students demonstrated their ability to do selfless work for the community using their skill-sets and know-how of graphical communication. A week’s stay in a village environment with basic facilities has sensitised students to the hardships faced by village folks and to the limited availability of resources in rural areas (especially fresh water). During this camp the sarpanch of Dandi village Shri Vimalbhai, trustee of Vinay Mandir Shri Dhirukaka, principle of primary school Smt Bhartiben, officers of Gujarat Ecology Commission, Shri Kalubhai Dangar a Gandhian Researcher, officers from Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Pujari of Radha-Krishna temple supported student volunteers and faculty whole heartedly.
A Seven-Day Special NSS Camp by IAPNU at Dandi, Navsari
Students of The IAPNU conducted a 7-day NSS camp in Dandi village near Navsari, in the coastal region of South Gujarat, from 17th to 23rd December 2018. 37 students were accompanied by Prof. Jitendra Menghani, Prof. Tanaya Deka and Prof. Nishant Kansagra on this camp. A brief outline of activities carried out at the above-mentioned camp is as follows:
