College students lead grassroots anti-drug campaign in Kerala villages

Thiruvananthapuram: Revathy, a first-year BSc student from Malayinkeezhu Madhava Kavi Smaraka Government Arts and Science College (MMSC), walks down a narrow lane with a group of fellow students. All of them are NSS volunteers. Together, they knock on the door of a house in a quiet village.

An elderly man answers. Revathy greets him politely and explains that they are part of an anti-drug campaign. She then begins asking a series of questions as part of a household survey.

The man listens and responds patiently. The questions are meant to gather basic details about the family and to find out if anyone in the household may be using drugs.

These young volunteers are part of a special project launched in the Kattakada Assembly constituency in Thiruvananthapuram. The initiative was introduced by local MLA I B Satheesh and is focused on identifying, preventing, and helping people affected by drug abuse in six panchayats under the constituency.

What makes the programme stand out is its approach. The student volunteers stay in the homes of the villages for three days.

During their stay, they observe the family's living conditions and try to notice if anyone shows unusual behaviour.

At the same time, they talk to the families about the dangers of drug use--especially the growing problem of synthetic drugs.

"The experience we got was excellent. We could try and understand what is going on in that house and also in the surroundings. We got valuable inputs regarding those who are using drugs in the area," Revathy told PTI.

She said along with the anti-drug campaign, it was also an effort to socially integrate the students with the local communities, understanding their needs and concerns.

MLA Satheesh said the outcome was much greater than they had expected.

"We are carrying out this survey in all six panchayats so that we can understand the situation on the ground. I must admit that the cases of drug abuse in society are far more than we had imagined," Satheesh, who is the driving force behind this unique programme, told PTI.

He said that, arguably, this is the first time such an initiative has been launched in the country, and that the whole of Kerala could adopt it in its fight against drug abuse.

The MLA explained that the idea of allowing students to stay in the homes of strangers was to give them the experience of living in a completely unfamiliar household, while closely observing the living conditions and assessing whether anything seemed unusual.

"They gained an experience that no university could have taught them. At the same time, they were able to educate parents--especially mothers--about the harmful effects of drug abuse and how to identify if something is going wrong with their children," Satheesh said.

He said both the parents and the youth in Kattakada have rallied behind the project.

"This is a great initiative, and the change has to start from the family. Through this programme, parents are becoming more aware and are able to recognise if their children display unusual behaviour, allowing them to intervene at an early stage," said Geetha, a teacher at the local government boys' high school.

The student volunteers, usually groups of 5 to 10 at a time, identify households and stay there for three days. In addition to conducting the survey, they also organise group discussions and interactive sessions to raise awareness about the dangers of drug abuse.

"They organise special programmes, constantly reminding the parents and children in the household about drug abuse and its effects. The data we collect through the survey will be handed over to the Survey and Statistics Department of the Kerala government," said Abhilash, the NSS programme coordinator at MMSC.

He said they are planning to cover every household with the survey, so that they can identify and prevent cases of drug abuse in Kattakada.

"These volunteers are very committed, and they spend all three days effectively, bringing about a change in people's mindset and making them more proactive in the fight against drug abuse," Abhilash said.

The students who have participated in the awareness campaign conducted by the volunteers also see it as a step in the right direction.

"They are making an effort, and it is showing results. The youngsters are warned about the harmful influence of drugs and how it contributes to the rise in crime in society. Parents are also becoming more aware," said Ashtami, another student who took part in the awareness programme.

This unique project is helping the authorities to identify those who are using drugs in these six panchayats, enabling social workers and counsellors to reach out to them, MLA Satheesh said.

It also helps prevent possible drug abuse by encouraging family members to be aware of changes in their children's behaviour and to report such cases to the authorities, he said.

The programme was introduced amid Kerala's launch of Operation D Hunt, following a rise in crimes related to drug abuse in the state. So far, under the special drive, 2,11,274 persons have been checked and 14,603 cases are registered statewide, police headquarters sources said.

A total of 15,331 persons have been arrested in connection with these cases.