Up live news 24 uttar pradesh
At an age when academic pursuits often occupy most of a student’s attention, three Lucknow students chose to take their learning beyond the classroom. Arav Gupta and Srishti Singh of CMS Aliganj 1, along with Naman Chandwani of St. Francis College, founded Sewasoul, a student-led NGO, when they were 16. Today, the organisation involves around 50 students and has already mobilised ₹45,000 towards community initiatives, alongside in-kind contributions and volunteer-led activities.
The idea behind Sewasoul was not simply to volunteer, but to create an avenue through which young people could put their knowledge, skills and resources to meaningful use. For its founders, the initiative also offered an opportunity to develop interpersonal and organisational skills, gain experiences beyond academics and learn how an idea could be translated into tangible action.
Since its inception, Sewasoul has undertaken initiatives across different areas of community welfare. One of its early drives involved Jeevan Jyoti Orphanage for disabled children, where student volunteers personally delivered six cartons of winter and general-wear clothing. The initiative also raised approximately ₹20,000 in cash, which was donated to the institution, while a lunch was arranged for the children. Around 75 children benefited from the effort.
The organisation has also extended its work towards animal welfare. At Jeev Basera, students visited the shelter and donated 30 kilograms of dog food along with ₹10,000 in cash. The initiative gave the students an opportunity to engage directly with the shelter rather than limiting their contribution to a financial donation.
Sewasoul’s activities have not been restricted to material assistance. Through its school-based online initiative, “Read to Heal,” the organisation sought to encourage students to develop a habit of reading. Around 15 students participated, with a competition and prize incorporated into the event to make reading more engaging.
Another initiative came during the June heat wave, when Sewasoul raised ₹15,000 to organise a bhandara, serving approximately 150–200 people at a co-founder’s residence. The event represented another aspect of the organisation’s approach: identifying an immediate need and mobilising students and resources to respond to it.
For the founders, however, the experience has been as much about learning as it has been about service. Fundraising, coordinating volunteers, organising events and working with different communities have provided lessons that cannot always be acquired within the four walls of a classroom.
What began with three students has consequently grown into a wider student-led effort. Sewasoul’s initiatives may differ — from clothing and food to animal welfare and reading — but they share a common principle: that young people need not wait until adulthood to put their abilities to use.
For its founders, the experience has offered an answer to a simple question: what happens when the skills acquired in the classroom are carried beyond it? In Sewasoul’s case, they have become an opportunity to learn, organise and serve — one initiative at a time.