Jamia students lend a helping hand to migrants
Kritika Sehgal
While help for struggling migrant workers in the country has been pouring from all quarters, the students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) are also doing their bit by distributing food packets to them, at different railway stations.
Sana Hassan, a final year student of architecture at the university, currently at her home town in Bihar, is distributing ration packets at
Ara junction. “Initially, we started this with funds which my sister and I had earned through internships. But when our friends learned about it, they contributed, then their friends also backed us up. We decided to do the field work because we are closer to the railway station. The police officers at the railway station were cooperative and helped us with the distribution,” Hassan shares.
Another JMI student, Mohammad Imran is making sure that migrant workers leaving from Old Delhi railway station have enough food to last their journey. “My friends and I have been distributing food packets and cooked meals to migrants. They mostly sit outside the railway station, so it becomes easier for us to distribute. We’ve provided food packets and kits in slums as well,” he says.
Funds for these charitable initiatives are also being raised by student groups. Shuja Rehman, an architecture student at JMI, tells us, “Students from Jamia as well as other universities are helping out. Among ourselves, we collect ₹10 daily, approximately ₹300 a month. The amount depends on how many students contribute. With that, we try to help as much as we can.”