Shramdaan
While most AID Chapters host cultural events to raise funds and support
their projects, AID-Columbus is fortunate to be located on a campus that boasts of a huge football stadium and is home to one of the
top teams in college football. In 2002 AID-C acquired the permission to manage a food-stall within the Stadium. The commission, amounting to a tenth of the sales, is credited to AID-C account. This opportunity soon became the mainstay of AID-C.s activities and has proved to be the most sustainable source of income. .Shramdaan., as this activity is called, provides AID with an opportunity to reach out to the (primarily student) community looking for volunteers to man the stall. Requiring about 20 volunteers every game, recruitment for Shramdaan has sensitized several hundreds of students from OSU to the activities of AID and has risen to be regarded by many as the primary way to contribute .tangibly. to India.s development. The number of volunteers willing to participate in Shramdaan is almost five times the number of regular volunteers of AID-Columbus and reflects the popularity of this event.
Shramdaan involves about eight hours of physical activity within the food stall, preparing, stocking and selling food to the spectators. Three main activities characterize this event and the team is accordingly split into three groups, each headed by a coordinator. Cashiers interact with customers and receive orders. .Runners. take the orders and supply the food to customers. The food-preparation team readies the food and stocks it in ovens. All these activities are overseen by a .group leader. who also acts as the interface between volunteers and Stadium officials.
Evidently, careful planning, coordination and execution are indispensable to this event, starting with finding volunteers ahead of time, training them before the game, ensuring appropriate pace during the game and cleaning up the stall at the end of the day. A great experience in teamwork, the rigors of physical activity in Shramdaan has done little to check the seemingly endless flow of labor, enthusiasm and ideas that have placed Shramdaan, and thus AID-Columbus, on firmer footing. We wish to take this opportunity to thank the nameless hundreds who have donated their time and energy to Shramdaan and convey our gratitude to Sodexho, the food and facilities management firm which oversees food sales on the game day. Do send an email to
Siva Movva, our Shramdaan co-ordinator if you are interested in volunteering for Shramdaan. We would be glad to have you as a part of our team!
