JAMMU: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha today participated in the International Volunteer Day celebrations at Police Auditorium, Gulshan Ground, Jammu. The day is being celebrated throughout India including the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on the theme “Together We Can Through Volunteering” highlighting the core spirit of volunteerism.During his address, the Lt Governor congratulated the Jammu & Kashmir chapter of the Red Cross Society and all those associated with the organization on the occasion of the International Volunteer Day.Acknowledging the significant contribution made by the Volunteers, the Lt Governor said that the day is an opportunity to express our gratitude to all those volunteers who believe in the importance of the common good and have served the society selflessly. He said the purpose of today’s celebrations is also to build the capacities of volunteers so that they make significant contributions to the community as helpers, educators, and trainers.”I believe that the desire to help and to ensure the well-being of our communities is one of the key ways in which we can build smarter and caring societies. The virtues of selflessness, altruism and dedication towards the welfare of others without expectation celebrates humanity”, said the Lt Governor.Terming Volunteering for selfless service as core philosophy of Red Cross ideals, the Lt Governor said that volunteering represents an important part of the Red Cross movement, as they are key agents in the implementation of humanitarian activities and promoting Red Cross ideals in the field.”I feel that for the spirit of service, to become a Volunteer, it is not necessary to have a degree, but passion, love, and a soft soul. To rise above the self and serve humanity is deeply ingrained in our great Indian culture”, he observed.The Lt Governor expressed pleasure upon the fact that the society has been working here since 1947 and has a strong team of volunteers in all 20 districts of the Union Territory. The society not only helps the needy at troubled times, but also organizes events to educate people about dealing with emergency situations like natural calamities which is praiseworthy, he added.He further assured all possible support of the Administration to the Society in their noble cause and urged the people to help, if not hundreds, at least one needy person in life.The Lt Governor maintained that the seven guiding principles of the Red Cross Society sum up its philosophy and the same guiding principles led the Red Cross volunteers to deliver food, medicines, and clothes to at least 30,000 families across J&K during the COVID-19 pandemic. The principle of ‘humanity’ resonates well with the declaration made by Swami Vivekananda, 126 years back, when he said that equity in society is the greatest ideal of all, added the Lt Governor.In my opinion, selfless service is an act of devotion in itself and it helps in exploring the divinity in humanity, and the Red Cross Society is doing exactly the same. Service of humankind is the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi. In our culture, society matters and the only teaching is to rise above the self and serve the humanity. Through volunteering, with oneness and togetherness, we can contribute to build positive feeling, solidarity, and compassion among the people affected during natural calamity, observed the Lt Governor.He urged the people to commit themselves to be key stakeholders for dissemination of information and prevention of pandemic besides providing food, medical assistance and other essential items to the needy and hoped that the International Volunteer Day would instill positive thinking and progressive approach among the youth to come forward to volunteer their spirit to serve humanity.On the occasion, the Lt Governor also felicitated Volunteers from across the UT for their selfless service.To mark the celebrations, a Lucky bag draw which is a decade old tradition was also held and the dignitaries handed over the prizes to the winners.Prominent among others present on the occasion were Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma; Honorary General Secretary, Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) J&K, Kifayat Hussain Rizvi; Honorary Secretary IRCS Jammu, Vinod Malhotra; senior officers; scores of Red Cross Volunteers and officials of IRCS.
