(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Journalist-turned-activist donates rice to trigger Rice Bucket Challenge that goes viral globally on social media.Hyderabad: By just adding one letter ‘R’ to the current worldwide rage Ice Bucket Challenge Hyderabad’s Manjulatha Kalanidhi has given a new meaning and dimension to the concept making it more meaningful to Indian conditions sensibilities and requirements.
The 38-year-old journalist-turned-activist believes that the Ice Bucket Challenge primarily aimed at bringing about awareness on ALS a condition of the nervous system also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease doesn’t have much of relevance in India where poverty AIDS corruption among other issues are far more prevalent.
“The Ice Bucket Challengeworks fine in a country like the US or other Western countries but in a country like India where we are faced with a myriad other problems it hardly makes sense” Manjulatha told Khaleej Times in an exclusive interview. So how did it all start
“I am a Facebook-friendly person and I saw the Ice bucket Challengegoing viral. I saw some of the videos where people particularly celebrities who would dunk themselves with bucketfuls of ice water all ostensibly for the stated cause. For me it was bizarre particularly in the Indian context. That is when I began asking myself if we can do something more meaningful since we have so many other problems and ALS was not a particularly major issue” Manju said in her candid interview. “We have our own problems like hunger poverty AIDS and corruption and I decided to adapt the concept to Indian conditions and began in a small way by donating 22 kg of rice costing approximately Rs 800 to a person who deserved it” she said adding that subsequently she uploaded the picture and content on her FB account. And the rest is history! Needless to say it went viral and is now attracting the attention of not only Indians but also NRIs who have begun to take up the “challenge” in the form of donations. Born brought up and educated in nearby Warangal district Manjulatha who joined Oryza.com a rice research and analysis firm just three months ago has been in Hyderabad for the past 17 years pursuing a career in journalism. She has worked with various newspapers including Indian Express and Deccan Chronicle. She is married to D. Vijay an HR consultant who she says deserves equal credit for the ‘rice’ initiative. “As a journalist I enjoyed doing human interest stories which had some impact on society. But I never thought that my action of donating rice to a needy person would escalate into not just a national initiative but going viral globally. It just goes to prove the dominance of social media as a powerful tool to initiate societal change. Within hours of my posting the picture and message of my donating rice it turned into a virtual social media tsunami” she said adding that NRIs from across the globe including the US and the Gulf were evincing keen interest on the “desi” version of the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Asked if there were any celebrities who had endorsed her initiative Manjulatha said the 'aam aadmi' (common man) was the celebrity and the driving force behind her initiative as opposed to film stars and sportspersons in the Ice Bucket Challenge. “I did it you do it is the basic idea behind the rice bucket challenge” she points out.
Manjulatha said that senior BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy had shared her post on his FB account and encouraged others to follow suit. “A couple of people from the Telugu film industry have also commented on my FB page” she said adding that the ripple effect of her initiative was really coming to play in the past couple of days.
“Students and staff of a degree college numbering about 2000 in Karimnagar have decided to celebrate their annual day by donating 2000 kg of rice to needy people” she said adding that her next move would be to identify about a dozen “genuine” charitable organizations and NGOs who could be roped in to help the cause. Manjulatha’s husband Vijay who helped “cook” up the rice bucket idea after watching the ice bucket challengeon social media believes that ALS was not such a major issue in India as opposed to local problems.
“Moreover it was revolting to see children as young as three to four years old being subjected to the ice bucket challenge. We believe that charity begins at home and the best way one can begin that is by donating rice to someone who is around you. Also rice is something that is used by everyone on a daily basis and it has a shelf life. We are not wasting water which is scarce in India and the action involved benefits someone in the material sense” he said. For more news from Khaleej Times follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes and on Twitter at khaleejtimes Follow khaleejtimes ->
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