DAAN UTSAV is an event of mammoth importance for Sushila Birla Girls' School every year. It has been a tool for serving the needy and also for instilling the values of empathy and selfless service in the hearts of its students. Teachers, students and parents join hands to serve the underprivileged and thus share the joy of giving just before the festive season.

This year, the pandemic posed a formidable threat to the Social Service Unit of the school. However, quite smoothly and undauntedly, the students overcame this hurdle with the guidance of the teachers. The pandemic failed to affect the spirit of giving that still remains alive in the hearts of the students. Therefore, an attempt was made to bridge the Digital Divide by helping those students across the state of West Bengal who were on the verge of dropping their education for the lack of a digital device.

The drive was divided into three phases. In the first phase, a competition was conducted to generate awareness amongst everyone associated with the school. Students made posters, slogans and scripts which they used for campaigning for the drive.

The second phase comprised the donation of devices. The school could successfully collect 92 mobile phones, 9 tablets, 9 desktops, 12 laptops, 1 television set and innumerable accessories including earphones, headphones, keyboards and mouses.

In the last phase, these devices were donated to four organisations that cater to the educational needs of underprivileged children. The teachers and a few students of Arogya Sandhan were invited to Sushila Birla Girls' School where the Principal, Mrs. Koeli Dey, and the Headmistress, Mrs. Vidisha Panja, handed the devices over to them. For the other three organizations, Kid's Centre, Gariahat, RISE, Krishnanagar and Upendra Vidyamandir, Sovabazar, the Mental Health Wellness Team of the school, comprising the school counsellors, special educators and a few students, paid a personal visit to present the devices to them.

A parent who had been a witness to the entire donation ceremony said, “It is indeed an exemplary endeavour of Sushila Birla Girls’ School to extend a helping hand to these students. These young learners have every right to receive online education as much as those for whom the thought of buying a digital device does not threaten to seize the satisfaction of a full meal.”