One-man Chennai NGO does his bit for flood-hit Kerala

Chennai: For 22-year-old Santhosh Shankar, helping others was just a way of life even when he was going to school.

With the Jallikattu protest however, things changed inside him and what was his way of life, became his life.

“I always wanted to help others. But I was very young and people would often overlook me easily. But then, I grew up and things started to change,” said Santhosh.

Presently residing at Thirumullaivoyal, in the city, Santhosh says he wanted to give back the love he received during the massive protests held at Marina. “I missed all the love I received. It overwhelmed me to even think how many people came out to help youngsters. So, I wanted to give back,” he said.

In order to do so, he and his friends got together and decided to volunteer their services whenever possible. They were firm as to not to register themselves as an NGO or as a trust, because they realised that service doesn’t need branding.

Santhosh takes pride in calling himself an independent volunteer. He can offer 25 different services including first-aid response, which incidentally has taken him to Kerala to help flood victims.

“We are doing everything we can. We wait till the water recedes and then get people back to their houses. The local authorities are co-ordinating with us well,” he said. Santhosh was, during the telephonic conversation with ‘News Today’, at Alappuzha and was heading to Kuttanad to help people there.

Santhosh who has a Mechanical Engineering degree and a diploma in Business Management, has three services at the top of his list. He says we should start with children if we are to bring about any change in the society.

“Children adapt easily to newer stuff, something that adults don’t. When I started my services, they could not accept that a 20-year-old was giving them a lecture about safety. That is why I teach kids and children more often than not follow rules pretty well,” he said.

His future plans revolve around being an independent volunteer. “The fact of the matter is, many have stopped helping people through NGOs because there are some unnecessary politics going on at many organisations. I do not want to join the list as well. I prefer not to get involved with how things are run in the background. The real world is my forte,” added Santhosh.

The energetic young lad is now working towards increasing palm tree population around the area. He can be contacted at 9841990704.