Dubai
Numbers - that’s all what seems to matter now. Be it the economy, a nation’s growth or a company’s performance. Measures and performance indicators drive the core. There appears to be a shift in the way organisations are functioning, a move away from people, integrity and value systems.
Perhaps we should not complain about it, because we all need to work, live and function. Numbers are a necessary evil. But, in that maze run, we need to remember what we are truly about. Our lives are not just CGI or computer generated imagery that feels more like a caricature of how it should be rather than how we live them. In the space and time continuum, we are but blips, all the more reason that we need to make our time on this planet count. We need to matter. And to do that, we need to care.
The Gulf News community reports show us every day that hope does spring eternal, people care and there are those who strive to do their best by others as much as possible. Today, we salute these heroes, stars without flashing lights or billboard signs, the men and women in this country who want to make their communities better.
First place goes to Aritra Mullick, who along with 50 other students helped clean up the Capital Garden, one of the oldest public parks in Abu Dhabi. It was a way of saying thank you to the emirate by these young people from different schools. “Students clean up public park”, was published on September 18, and generated interest from many like-minded youngsters.
Second place goes to Adithiyan Rajan for the report, “Donating unused medicines to help the less fortunate”. which was published on September 6. A group of youngsters came together to collect unused medicines and donated them to the Al Ihsan Charity Association in Ajman. As per a British website on medicine waste, an estimated £300 (Dh1454) million worth of medicines are wasted in the UK alone, each year, which could pay for 11,778 new community nurses. Additionally, improper disposal of unused medicines are hazardous to people, children, pets and the environment. So, the initiative for upcycling by Rajan is of great help and need on a much larger scale.
Third place goes to Aaditya Gandhi for his article, “Siblings start free library to promote reading among children”. It was published on September 21. Gandhi and his younger sister stock over 400 books in their home library, which is now open to all between the ages of five and eighteen - free of cost. A labour of love, these are books the brother-sister duo collected over the years. Rather than just throw them away, they decided to share their joy of reading. They also host literary events for young people in their community including creative writing and book review sessions. A commendable effort in a day and age where people have drastically reduced their reading time because of digital information overload.
What do you think of the work done by these young winners? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
