Perhaps the largest annual gathering of Voluntary Agencies in Tamilnadu happens on the first Sunday of each year. In 2015, the same will happen on the 4th January Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Coimbatore.
Networking and Development Centre for Service Organization (NDSO) as it is called is an effort of one man, Sri. J. Prabhakar. Ten years ago, when I first attended the meeting of the gathering there were less than 100 participants, in 2015 when the network is gathers for the 10th year, the participating organizations alone exceeds over 1000 and the total number of participants maybe much more. These are small local voluntary agencies, often a few individuals, who dare to dream of a different society and have put their all into manifesting the same in their own neighbourhoods. These are school teachers, housewives, autorickshaw drivers, slum dwellers, stenographers, lawyers, doctors, artists, mechanics, young mothers, students, retired government servants, the people who form the greater part of society and carry their faith in collective action that starts from their small actions in their own localities.
Local actions by small local voluntary organizations across the world deserve a special recognition. They are not couched in the languages of the global civil society, they are definitely not dominated by the polemics of the globalized academics, their organization and the spirit of the gathering is often rooted in the culture of the region and dominated by forces that are locally relevant to the largest number of those who gather.
NDSO is such a gathering, where the small local volunteers gather to assert their convictions, strengthen each other and to start a year with renewed energy. The gathering too is voluntary in nature and people congregate from all parts of the state on their own just to share the spirit of voluntarism.
If you are anywhere in Tamilnadu and want to wallow in the spirit of voluntarism and to start the new year soaked in positive vibrations, do make it to Coimbatore on the 4th Jan 2014.
Date: 4th Jan 2015
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Venue: Kikaani School, Ramnagar, Coimbatore
Contact:
N. Sivakumar - 9600044748
R. Ravindran - 9842233446
J. Prabhakar - 9600199110
The Formal Invitation in Tamizh enclosed.
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