20-yr-old Naqati’s selfless work is winning hearts
Naqati Aroob Iqbal, is a 20-year-old young woman who works as a social activist and organises events on social causes.
Hailing from Ellahi Bagh area of Srinagar district, Naqati developed interest in social work from 2019.
“I’m not in it for money or fame. It’s purely for the feeling I get when I selflessly help people. And becoming an event organiser to spread awareness is a part of it” Aroob said.
She also believes, “People want to help others but as soon as they get aware of their problems or weaknesses they tend to exploit it. It makes the job harder for people like me.”
Her first event, “Bai yee Bahar” was a huge success and was based on COVID-19 awareness.
As the pandemic had subsided in the valley she organised this event at Tagore Hall, where numerous speakers spoke on the mental health and economic crisis due to the pandemic.
“We didn’t just only talk about the crisis, we spoke about the ways we can overcome and face the calamity together as a community” she said.
Naqati has organized some more events which also received overwhelming response. One of her events was on plantation drive, where people were made aware of the importance of planting trees to save the environment. The information was also disseminated regarding the menace of deforestation in the Valley.
Her parents were not supportive at all at the idea of Aroob becoming a social activist and an event organiser but despite the resentment that she never gave up, “I know I’m not doing anything wrong. My conscience is clear, so I wouldn’t have stopped no matter what, it took some time but they are coming around,” she said.
She also organized an event to address the drug menace issue in the Valley. The event saw participation of a good number of people from different walks of life. Naqati’s aim to organize the event was to make the society at large and the youth particular, aware of the consequences the substance drugs have on the individual, on their families and on the society in general.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has reemerged with more ferocity than before with its second wave, the social activist wants the younger generation not to get indulged in the use of substance drugs to cope with the stress and mental health issues.
She suggests instead the youngsters should use this time to work on their hobbies and enhance their skills and work on themselves.
