The late Atal Bihari Vajpayee once said, “I would like that no citizen of the state feels alone and helpless. The entire nation is with them“.

Despite the lack of coverage by mainstream media towards the distress in Kerala and Kodagu due to heavy flooding, the people of Manipal have come together to lend a hand in this time of crisis.

Among the many donation drives organised all over the town, students from various institutes of Manipal Academy of Higher Education came together on 17th August and started a collection centre at KMC Food Court. A group based in Mysore was contacted, that will later be transporting the collected goods via tempos and distributing them in relief centres all over Kerala. Besides this, booths had also been set up at all MAHE institutions, as well as at the local masjid. Collection points were also set up at the School of Communication, St. Joseph’s Church, and the MIT Student Plaza—among other places—on Saturday, the 18th of August, between 9-10:30 a.m.

Efforts in full swing to ship off supplies at KMC, Manipal.

Justin Varghese, a student of SOAHS, emphasised on focussing more on helping in kind, by sending essential materials rather than collecting funds. They succeeded in obtaining a multitude of non-perishable items and hope to play their tiny role in helping our neighbours.  Within two hours of setting up the collection centres, the organisers had to start declining donations, due to having more supplies than they had the means to transport.

If you wish to contribute and help the cause, there are ongoing efforts in Manipal that can enable you to do so. Another collection drive will also be held on the 20th of August. The following are contact numbers regarding the drives in Manipal: 9207173045 and 8296374434

Besides this, one can also send monetary assistance online by using Tez, BHIM, or other UPI apps through the Kerala Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. For more information, please visit http://keralarescue.in.