SMVDU Katra, October 2019. Under the aegis of University Social Responsibility (USR), the student volunteers of Vikalp – a students’ initiative along with NSS at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra – campaigned in the nearby village areas of Kakryal and Sirah to promote educational awareness. Vikalp began in 2009 with a thought of bringing a positive change in the society. The campaigning started in a planned way, and the volunteers formed small groups and reached out to the villagers, while spreading awareness and encouraging parents about Vikalp cocurricular activities, including computer workshop, sports competition, and other cultural events like dance, speech, drawing, and poetry writing. The role and importance of education was also discussed, and the parents’ suggestions were also noted down. The volunteers also reached out to the construction workers working on campus, and urged them to send their children to Vikalp. The campaign was jointly coordinated by Mr. Sumanta S. Sharma, Faculty Coordinator, NSS, SMVDU, and Dr. Madhu M. Chaturvedi, Faculty Coordinator, Vikalp, SMVDU, along with student volunteers. The effort was highly appreciated by the Vice Chancellor, SMVDU, Prof. Ravindra K. Sinha, Padma Shri, and he pledged more support for such initiatives run by the university to fulfil its social responsibility.
