As when the Baghjan gas tragedy held and the people of Assam witnessing their worst nightmare, a few members of People for a People group, which is formed by various young, energetic and good minds studied in various universities and institutions including IIT Guwahati and Gauhati university visits the place to take a closer look and when seen the relief camps and moved by peoples shrinking hopes and emerging fear about what their future might hold. They started posting photos and sharing the tough reality with their friends online, the response that they received was overwhelming. Within a week, they managed to collect Rs 1.19 Lakh to provide relief at the camps in Baghjan. Once they realized the impact that they were capable of creating, there was no stopping them. The incident changed the lives of these youngsters, who realized overnight, how their world of internet and technology could hold the key to such critical problems of the world. They were able to mobilize help from online communities to tide through unimaginable problems. They made a promise to never sit back and helplessly watch such tragedies. This year, when the usual annual flood occurred, they decided to do something about it. The group of youngsters is aiming to raise Rs. 6 Lakh with the help of their online reach to provide immediate relief to those in need. They have started an online fundraiser on Milaap, a preferred digital crowdfunding platform, and already managed to raise over Rs. 3.3 Lakh out of the required goal, with the help of over 932 supporters from across the world who have donated to their campaign. People can support them at https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-prinjee-baruah. Kukilkayani from the team at People for People says, “Responsibility I believe accrues through privilege. People like you and I have an unbelievable amount of privilege, and therefore we have a huge amount of responsibility. What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.”
Every year, online crowdfunding platform Milaap, is seeing more and more initiatives by youngsters to raise funds for causes in Assam. Ugroshore River Island Tourist Site, a newly opened eco-tourism site at a river island in front of Ganeshghat at Tezpur under the aegis of Assam Tourism by a group of 6 graduates from Guwahati University, rose quickly to become the heart of tourists in Tezpur. Taken up as a Shore tourism project, with the help of Assam Tourism Development Corporation, Guwahati, the group is committed to giving tourists a blissful experience in the heart of nature, while helping local communities to showcase their culture & handloom products in the campsite itself. The project, since its inception, has boldly been battling circumstances, with the floods of last year, followed by civil unrest during the CAA protests, and now the pandemic and subsequent social isolation. They have chosen the online route to collect support for their venture from people who share their passion for the cause. Determined to make it work, these youngsters are trying to raise Rs. 3,00,000 to sustain the business and its 7 members.
This is definitely not the first time that the youth of Assam are stepping forward to take much-needed action in the face of grave crises. Even before this, popular comedian Abhineet Mishra, the Comedian, Ex-journalist with The Indian Express, The Times of India has started a fundraiser on Milaap to help the employees of Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited and their families. Burning issues, disaster relief and medical emergencies are finding new solutions and channels of help through the online reach of this new generation of youngsters.
