It was August 1969.
M S University of Baroda was closed due to communal riots. There was nothing much that the students could do but wait for sanity to prevail and situation to return to normal.
Not all students thought like that though - a group of students wanted to be pro-active and do something positive and useful to the community - they formed an organisation for Social Service to the community, which will be run by volunteer students from the University - That was the beginning of Friends Society.
M S University of Baroda was closed due to communal riots. There was nothing much that the students could do but wait for sanity to prevail and situation to return to normal.
Not all students thought like that though - a group of students wanted to be pro-active and do something positive and useful to the community - they formed an organisation for Social Service to the community, which will be run by volunteer students from the University - That was the beginning of Friends Society.
The material below has been taken from two separate articles that appeared in News papers:
ReplyDeleteIt was 1969. Maharaja Sayajirao University in the city of Vadodara in Guajarat India, was closed due to communal riots in the city.
The University students broke into a rampage and strike,but some students were inspired to bring back peace and harmony to the campus. Niranjan Dave, Giridhar Vaswani and Merry George, all students of the University, started Friends Society ( FS ) on 15th August, 1969.
The main objective was to provide the youth with a platform for more constructive activities. Soon around 60-70 other students joined hands to work for the differently abled and deprived people of society, and FS has since been functioning as a non-profit, non-political NGO.
" Self Development through Service " - the motto of FS can be seen in every Member and Associate, since its inception in 1969. It is a Voluntary Organisation, which has always induced high moral and social values in all its members. Due to its socialistic vision and noble cause, it has inspired many young students to work with people of various strata.
It is unique as it is the only organisation that is functioning effectively under the leadership of Maharaja Sayajirao University students. It renders service to children and senior citizens. It also caters to the poor and the needy people.
FS undertakes various activities, such as " Cheer Up " , catering to the physically challenged children, along with Balwadi, Sunday School, income generation programmes for the women and senior citizens, Blood Donation etc.
Friends Society is, in a true sense, a friend for every generation