It was a five-year-old girl who changed Richa Khator’s outlook of the world. The child suffered from blindness and could not read beyond a line during a routine eye check, where Richa was a volunteer.

Six months later, Richa is a self-motivated person who strongly believes that even a single person can make a lot of difference. “Before my first activity where I met this girl in Austin Town, I thought a single person cannot make any difference to the world around us. I was happy that I was able to get that girl the medical attention she needed during that eye camp. Now, I can definitely say that I can help at least ten people,” says Richa, a second year BBM student at Jain University Centre for Management Studies.

Richa joined Yuva Ignited Minds, a student-driven NGO, as a volunteer and she presently handles its public relations. “I organise media coverage for our activities besides taking active part in them,” Richa says. She was a part of Yuva’s latest venture towards religious tolerance. “We started with Buddhism and very recently, we had a seminar on Islam. We went to a mosque where renowned personalities spoke about Islam and clarified many misconceptions surrounding the community,” she says.

Thanks to her stint with Yuva, Richa is able to strile a balance between college, her internship and social service. “It has shaped my personality and keeps me happy. Social service is something that I want to be associated with for the rest of my life,” she says.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express /  Home> Education> Edex / by Bharat Joshi – Bangalore— bharath.joshi@newindianexpress.com / December 30th, 2013