According to this report by the Times of India, a number of students of the Institute of Technology (IT), Banaras Hindu University voluntarily donated blood to mark their solidarity and dedication to the ongoing campaign for the conversion of IT-BHU to IIT status, at Rajputana hostel on Saturday.
More updates, including pictures, will be posted as we get the information.
From the article:
VARANASI: It was a blood donation camp with a difference, as a number of students of the Institute of Technology (IT), Banaras Hindu University,
voluntarily donated blood to mark their solidarity and dedication to the ongoing campaign for the conversion of IT-BHU to IIT status, at Rajputana hostel on Saturday.
What made the blood donation camp special was also the fact that it was held on the Valentine's Day, symbolizing love for the cause that has eluded the prestigious institution so far.
While around 200 students, including 12 girls, donated blood on the occasion, their smiling faces also motivated a number of other students, who volunteered to donate blood for the first time in their life.
"There is no better way to express solidarity and dedication to the cause and donating blood to save others' lives makes one feel the best," said Akansha, a second year BTech student after blood donation. While most of her batch-mates echoed the sentiments attached with the cause of conversion of IIT status, a number of them also added that the conversion was not the sole driving force for the blood donation.
"The blood donation camp is organized annually at the institute and this year it is dedicated to the cause of conversion of IIT status," said Prof BB Bansal, senior professor, department of Mechanical Engineering, IT-BHU and patron of Kashi Utkarsh, an informal social and voluntary organization of IT students, which had organized the blood donation camp, in association with Blood Bank, Sir Sunder Lal hospital, BHU, and Rotary Club, Varanasi.
Stating that the organization had already taken an initiative for educating children of slums in Suswahi and Lahartara, he also emphasised that other events, like health camp and sanitation programme, were also being organized in these areas with contributions of IT students and IT alumni.
A high-tech ambulance (from SSL hospital, BHU) and 10 stretchable beds and a dozen cots were arranged in the common room of the hostel on the occasion. The volunteers also provided orange juices, apples and chocolates to the blood donors on the occasion.
Meeting with HRD minister still awaited
Even as lobbying for the cause of conversion of IT-BHU to IIT is in full swing, with a delegation of IT students and teachers making strenuous efforts to convince higher officials in the Union HRD ministry on the issue, the proposed meeting with the Union HRD minister has still not taken place.
According to Prof BB Bansal, senior professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering, IT-BHU, the proposed meeting with the minister was postponed on Friday due to the ill health of the minister and the meeting was likely to take place on Saturday.
It may be mentioned here that a delegation of 25 students and four teachers, including IT director Prof SN Upadhyaya, has been camping in New Delhi for the past three days to garner support on the issue.
The delegation has already met senior CPM leader AB Bardhan and a number of MPs in the state for raising the matter strongly in the ongoing Parliament session.