Nurturing Curiosity and Community Service: My INSA Remote Area Lecture in the Southern part of West Bengal – Lakshmikantapur

In the third installment of my consecutive INSA remote area lectures, I embarked on a truly heartwarming experience. This time, my destination was Kashipur School, a free primary school that hosted not only its own students but also those from nearby schools for the event. The topic of my talk was ‘Climate Change: Impact on Our Health, Food, and Livelihood’. The children left me deeply inspired as they pledged to create a club dedicated to raising awareness about reducing plastic usage and planting more trees.
The sense of fulfillment was immeasurable as I had the honor of presenting a generous donation of 1.5 lakhs to the school’s headmaster, which would be used to improve the school’s infrastructure. Additionally, an award of Rs. 50,000 was distributed among more than 20 deserving and underprivileged students who had excelled in their Secondary and Higher Secondary exams.

What makes this story even more special is the lesson I learned along the way: initiative is the catalyst that sparks positive change and propels us towards progress. It all began when my friend, Mr. Subhabilas Mandal, an assistant teacher at the school, shared with me the challenging conditions the school faced. He had been urging me for some time to help secure funding for the school’s needs.

In a fortunate turn of events, I decided to share the school’s photos with one of my senior colleagues during a discussion. Her immediate and generous contribution of over 2 lakhs towards the school’s grill and the scholarship fund for the deserving students demonstrated the incredible impact that a simple act of initiative can have on transforming lives and communities.
This experience reinforces my belief in the power of initiative and the collective effort to create a brighter future for all.