Himanshu Guru, OP
Unplugged Dreams, a group of young volunteers, is engaged in selfless social service with the aim of addressing the plight of the dispossessed and the downtrodden…
Service to mankind is service to God. Imbued in this ideology, a group of likeminded youngsters have drawn up a programme to come to the aid of the downtrodden. They distribute food to the needy, provide assistance to patients and arrange blood donors for them, visit orphanages to organise workshops, and organise creative interactions with orphans. The enthusiastic youngsters spend money from their own pockets for a mission, which started four months back, not only in Orissa but also in Assam, Delhi and Bangalore. The group called ‘Unplugged Dreams’ (UD) is involved in selfless social work. Sunday POST interacted with the members about their vision and future plans.
UD, a social welfare and charity organisation, is a brainchild of actor Udayan Aparajeet, the Oriya boy who has acted in two Kannada films. His debut Oriya movie is yet to release. About the origin of the group Udayan said: “For a long time that was a dream. I struggled for about nine years and finally featured in a big budget Kannada film. The task was tough because I hail from Jajpur and wanted to become a hero in a South Indian film. This success taught me not to lose hope but to chase my dream.”
“Four months back on a fine Sunday morning I called up my friend Rudra, and students Biswajit, Manoj, Saroj and Tushar. We went near the Sai temple in Chandrasekharpur. I had prior knowledge that an old man and his little daughter were there. On that day, we gave them food, a new dress to the child and a dhoti and towel to the old man. I posted it on Facebook as the first work of ‘Unplugged Dreams’ and it was viewed by around 11k people within a couple of days. Even many likeminded people contacted me to be associated with this initiative,” Udayan said.
Apart from other services, UD performs social work every Sunday; they call it ‘Mission Sunday’. Enthusiastic youngsters in Bhubaneswar, Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, Cuttack and Balasore engage in social work every Sunday. Fortunately, this selfless work has inspired youngsters in other states as well.
Asked how the concept spread among young social workers, he said: “We kept on posting about our activities on social media and received a warm response. Once my friend Niaz from Assam called me to intimate that they were going to start social work from the following Sunday. Since I live in Bangalore, I started it there with the help of a few friends, and now Srinibas is in charge. Later, friends from Delhi too showed interest and now they accomplish the task every Sunday headed by Manas Nath.”
People from different walks of life have appreciated the noble work. Oriya film actors Anubhav Mohanty and Akash Das Nayak have attended Sunday Mission. Asked whether the group wants to invite other film stars, Udayan said: “We did not invite Anubhav or Akash. They attended out of their own generosity after following our activities. We are thankful to them and their social commitment. It’s a positive sign that many stars are showing interest.”
Udayan, a popular actor, said: “It’s more important to be a hero in real life than in reel. It definitely helps. I have been doing this all alone but now as I have a voice in society as an actor a few people do follow me. I want to use this support for the betterment of society.”
“All the activities of the group are uploaded on social media. I am impressed by the noble gesture of youngsters from other states who have also shown interest. Syed Niaz Hannan from Guwahati is a diploma holder in animation and a freelance graphic designer. He is leading the charity group in Assam,” he added.
Talking to Sunday?POST Niaz said: “Currently, we are involved only in the Sunday mission. Back in 2008 I was a junior to Udayan at ZICA in Mumbai where I was pursuing an animation course. When I saw it in social media, I called to ask him how I could help. He asked me to form a group of likeminded friends and we were on. On Sundays, we take to the streets at 2 pm to distribute food. Earlier, we bought meals from hotels. But the food was meagre so now we prepare it at home. The four regular members prepare food at home by turns. Now, we are preparing a full meal for about 25 people. We wander in the streets of Zuhu road, Tinali, Guwahati station, and Chandmari, where we find enough hungry people.”
Asked whether he has the aim to make it a big affair someday, Niaz said: “As such it will be big someday. We include only interested people and that is why the group is now small; only four regular members. However, next Sunday another three will join us. Our family members also support the noble work and we spend from our own pocket. We spend about two thousand rupees for each Sunday Mission.”
The social workers are also active in Bangalore. Bhubaneswar boy Srinivas lives in Bangalore. The business analyst is heading an 11-member team under the banner of ‘Unplugged Dreams’. He said: “There are three groups working here and I am heading one of those. We mainly convince interested people to celebrate their personal events like birthdays and anniversaries in orphanages. In this way inmates of the orphanages get both food and enjoyment. Recently, a party donated Rs 30,000 to an orphanage.”
“In near future we would take initiatives to make our effort a national movement. Also, in the coming days we will try to contribute to society in a bigger and better way by conducting various activities. We need everyone’s support to undertake bigger responsibilities. We have confidence in our dedicated volunteers,” said Udayan.