SAYS: Praiseworthy volunteers thank Maldivians!

Like any other guests at the South Asian Youth Summit, they were the first people the Maldivian delegation met. Strangers though they may be, they greeted everyone with respect and a smile on their faces. They were the first people to attend to any need which arose during the Summit, working tirelessly around the clock with little or no sleep.

This is the story of the volunteers who are the true heroes behind the success of the first South Asian Youth Summit, held in Bhubaneswar City of India last week.

These volunteers attended to the needs of the 500 delegates from 60 countries which participated in the Summit. Most of the 1,000 volunteers at the Summit – many as young as 17 years – were completely new to an event of such a scale.

Most of the volunteers were students staying at hostels with strict rules who had to sleep at the lobby of the hotel where the delegates were provided accommodation, or stayed up without sleep when their hostels closed up.

Many said they managed with just an hour of sleep. They had little time to eat. And when they fell ill due to exhaustion, they took medicine and marched on. They had little time to call their family or friends.

This may not be new information to the Maldivian delegates who attended SAYS. The struggle of the volunteers was most closely observed by the Maldivian delegation.

Maldivian delegates, concerned with the female volunteers sleeping in the hotel lobby, offered their own beds at the hotel to the volunteers. They gave them medicine when volunteers fell sick. This is remembered fondly by the volunteers.

Sangram Mishra, who won the award for Best Male Volunteer at SAYS, said he had never met a Maldivian prior to the Summit, and had been looking forward to meeting the Maldivian delegation.

He said that what he observed were a people who were punctual, disciplined and friendly.

“Rafiyya ma'am, being a VIP, was also very friendly. I just loved the way you people were behaving,” said Sangram, who worked as the Coordinator for the Transportation Team. “And all the time I helped you people in any odd, you guys never delayed in saying thanks. 'Thanks' is an expression which is definitely needed to make you feel better, and you guys always made us feel that.”

He also thanked the Maldivian delegation for checking on whether the volunteers had slept or not, and had food. He said the concern shown by the Maldivian delegation had been a huge encouragement to the volunteers.

“And, the last day, when you guys were leaving for the airport, I just couldn't stop myself coming with you guys in the bus to the airport, though I had works to do there in the hotel itself, I just didn't want to miss the last glance of you people. I, somehow, was having bit attachment for you guys,” said Sangram, who expressed the hope to visit Maldives someday.

The Best Female Volunteer at SAYS, Puja Sinha expressed similar sentiments. Puja said she had a great time with the Maldivian delegation.

She said that though the Maldivian delegates faced more problems than any other delegation, they provided the volunteers their full cooperation and faced every problem with a smile on their faces.

Puja said that Maldivians were a kind-hearted people, and that she believed the award she received was because of the Maldivian delegation.

This was evident from the closing ceremony when she received the award. The Maldivian delegation were the first people Puja came to when she received the award. They were also the people to cheer the loudest when she received the award.