My Story: Soumyashree Ramannavar
Posted on Wednesday, September 04, 2013 by LEAD
Soumyashree Ramannavar (HIT, Nidasoshi)
I joined LEAD because of the blue shirts. I remember seeing the blue shirts
everywhere. I used to see
the blue shirts outside, seeing the real needs of society and solving
problems. I thought to myself, who
are these people?
I study at Nidasoshi, but I live in Belgaum, meaning that I
have to travel 60 kms to college and back every single day. I spent a lot of time traveling. I used to spend a lot of time
thinking.
But I was also a very silent girl. I rarely used to speak with anyone. I used to travel to college, attend
classes, and then come straight home.
While I had a lot of thoughts, I had trouble seeing the potential of my
thinking.
Joining LEAD allowed me to put my thoughts to work. In my first project, I conducted
career guidance for students in villages. I felt motivated to do this project because I noticed
that many village students were unaware of options for their futures. They would go to college and get
their degrees, but in the end, they would just pursue farming. I wanted them to know that other
choices were out there.
Because I was not used to speaking with people, my first
project on career guidance was challenging. However it was also very helpful, both for the students and
for me. Not only was I able to
help them think differently about their futures, but I developed a different
way of thinking and learned how to teach, convince, and connect with
people.
My second project really took me out of my comfort
zone. When people see beggars on
the street, they usually just ignore them. People might think briefly about the beggars, and maybe even
feel for them, but the action stops there. I decided to help them. I found it really difficult to communicate with them,
though, because they lacked knowledge about a lot of basic things. Speaking with them was also very
intimidating, because their lifestyle was completely different than mine, and
because I had so many preconceptions about them. But I faced my discomfort head on, and interacted with
them. I taught them yoga and
basic social skills. Most of the
beggars are now off the streets and living for themselves. One of the beggars in particular showed
promise, and I taught him the alphabet and basic literacy skills. I encouraged him to take a job as a
sweeper. Now he’s earning Rs. 6000
every month and is living for himself.
Working for LEAD as an intern for Yuva Summit was another
fantastic opportunity. My LEAD
projects had taught me how to work for society, and then my internship taught
me how to work as a professional.
I was responsible for overseeing the creativity and decorations outdoors
during Yuva Summit. Some of
my creative ideas have even been implemented in other events. Personally meeting Ratan Tata, though,
has to be one of the greatest memories from Yuva Summit.
LEAD totally changed my thinking and how I live my
life. LEAD is something totally
different which provides you with practical and self-learning, as well as enjoyment. I plan on staying involved with LEAD
for a long time. No matter what I
do, or how old I become, LEAD will always be there to support me.
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5 Response to "My Story: Soumyashree Ramannavar "
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Phani Says....Excellent work Soumyashree! The difference you made to in the person's life (who took up the sweepers job) is phenomenal!
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Anonymous Says....No words what you did. Can't even imagine. The different you did make me also think about the society and welfare. Soumyashree Ramannavar I wish you all the best.
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Imaginedtostartblogging Says....Great! It is inspiring, specially when you helped beggar change his course and help him stand more firmly in the society. Cheers!
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Bharath Jakkani Says....awesome job, what you did for that beggar, inspiring.
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Unknown Says....No words what you did. Can't even imagine. The different you did make me also think about the society and welfare.
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