A group of young volunteers is on a mission to restore dilapidated temples, kalyanis and lakes and to keep them alive.
It is said that people without the knowledge of their past — glorious or horrid — are like trees without roots. And a group of young volunteers in Mysuru is determined to nurture these trees and pass on the treasure trove of history to future generations.
Braving reptiles and brambles, hundreds of National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers, students and civil servant and competitive exam aspirants are on a mission to restore lakes, ponds, kalyanis (temple tanks), ancient temples and other structures in Mysuru and Mandya regions, which lie in a state of neglect.
Over the past four years, this group of NSS volunteers from Seshadripuram Degree College in Mysuru, and volunteers of Achievers’ Academy in Srirangapatna (which offers free competitive exam training) have given a new lease of life to at least 10 kalyanis, four lakes and many temples ruined by the vagaries of nature and time.