Galvanized in tragedy, young generation rises to quake challenge

ISLAMABAD—While the death and destruction unleashed by October 8 earthquake is unprecedented, the sense of sharing and caring and a spirit of volunteerism the younger generation showed to help the hapless victims also finds no parallel in the country's history.
The tragedy that continues to unfold its ugly face even three weeks after the calamity struck has pained the heart of every individual irrespective of religion, sect or ethnic background.
It appears as if the entire philosophy of their life has come to center on just one point -- help the suffering countrymen in every possible way. The day the tragedy befell Azad Kashmir and NWFP, people from all strata of the society started to pour into the affected areas from every nook and corner of the country to help in rescue and relief efforts. And they are still coming in.
You will find the volunteers wherever you go -- be it the districts of Muzaffarabad, Manshera, hamlets scattered on far-flung mountain slopes, or hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
They are helping doctors in field hospitals, feeding young and old out in the open, assisting military engineers in removing debris and running in search of medicines for the wounded. Hundreds of female volunteers are working day and night, looking after distressed women and children orphaned by the killer quake. Many are working round the clock to help unite divided families.
Doctors chose to leave their private clinics and rushed ton work in makeshift health facilities to save the lives of tens of thousands of people. And there are thousands of military jawans who risked their lives to airlift people, stranded in formidable Himalayan terrains, and to clear roads to reach remote inaccessible areas.
Hats off to those people who left serenity of their homes to reach out to people in the areas littered with dead bodies and rubbles. Who are these people? They are our pride; they are our present; they are our future. Their devotion and dedication to help out their brethren in distress would have made founders of the beloved motherland proud. These volunteers are of all age groups and belong to all spheres of life.
There are teenagers from poor families from Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP who cannot afford to travel to Azad Kashmir; there are middle-class people who think twice before spending a penny to keep their budget intact; and there are even youngsters from well-to-do so-called "Burger Families" generally perceived as heartless and selfish.
They had no vested interest or lust for publicity. No one asked them or offered special trains or buses to take them to Muzzafarabad and Balakot.
But there was an urge and a passion to reach out to people devastated by the monster quake -- in any way they could.
First they set up relief camps in cities, towns and villages, collected blankets, quilts, clothing and foodstuff to be sent to the affected areas.
But realizing that the government alone could not grapple with the massive tragedy, they decided to contribute and share in their own way by carrying relief goods directly to the affected people and assist the rescue and relief efforts.
Unlike those who chose to criticize government from their furnished drawing rooms for "doing nothing" these young people pted to take a difficult sojourn to the affected areas and did not care even for their own life in order to save others. his is the hallmark of a living nation which writes its own destiny and it is a guarantee to a bright future.
But, it seems that the young generation have now taken their fate in their own hands. They have carved out a way for themselves This tragedy has made them see the real face of life from very close. They are now finding comfort in helping others and realizing what this country demands from them. There is a need to keep alive this passion, this spirit and this national fervour.—APP