International Volunteer Day | World Soil Day. 
नेपाली पात्रो > International Days >  International Volunteer Day | World Soil Day. 

 International Volunteer Day | World Soil Day. 

By Nepali Patro (Sudan Bhattarai Upadhyaya)
December 5, 2021

 International Volunteer Day | World Soil Day. December the 5th as per the gregorian calendar, today is International Volunteer Day and World Soil Day. This day is celebrated in Nepal and other countries too as “International Volunteer Day” as well as “World Soil Day”. The essence or summary of the eighteen Purans written by Vyas Rishi is found to be especially focused on “philanthropy and virtue”.  And, in those eighteen  Puranas, it is written that “It is a great sin to hurt others,” and the importance of volunteering can also be seen and read in them which emphasizes, “Philanthropy is a virtue and hurting others is the greatest sin.”

International Volunteer Day is celebrated every year as a celebration of honoring and respecting all the volunteers around the world. International Volunteer Day is celebrated on the 5th of December by the United Nations every year. 

International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution A / RES / 40/212 of 17 December 1985. Since then, International Volunteer Day has been celebrated around the world on this day every year. 

Since the commencement of International Volunteer Day on December 5, governments, the United Nations system, and civil society organizations have been working closely with volunteers around the world to achieve its goal. After becoming a volunteer, they work day and night for the sake of service, not even remembering their parents, siblings, and other family members. Volunteering at the expense of one’s personal life can be a very daunting task. These volunteers are busy doing service work such as wiping, cleaning, and applying ointment and medicine on the wounds of the wounded. Such hardworking volunteers spend their energetic time and energy devoting their energy and fulfilling the overflowing time of their lives to community service, serving and treating the homeless people who arrive at the center. 

There is no doubt that “the greatest virtue in human life is to serve the society being above personal interests”. At the same time, rescuing and serving the homeless on the streets is considered the greatest and best social service in the world.

After being born as a human being, to the best of one’s ability and strength, one should also be able to take care of the pregnant women including the children born on the streets due to various circumstances and restrictions, there is no such great work as serving the society.  During today’s busy and hectic timetable, the perversion that is developing in the name of modernity has corrupted the human intellect.

Because of that corrupted intellect, they are leaving their elder parents in old age homes and centers where It is the work of these wonderful and kind volunteers to take care of the elderly parents of such corrupt sons and daughters as if like their own parents. There is no doubt or denying it.

As the great poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota in his famous poem Muna Madan has given a very good example of social service by saying “Man is great with a big mind but not with the wealth”. 

According to history, he used to come home with his salary from the office but used to distribute it to the poor on the roadside arriving home empty-handed. There are plenty of incidents and places where his human service is an incomparable example. In the same way, he even used to give his coat to the poor beggar who was shivering in the cold on the way to his home in Maiti Devi arriving home shivering in the cold himself. The countless invaluable volunteer work he did during that time was, and still is, commendable.

His volunteer work of that time has become a good example for the present generation as well. This day can be celebrated as National Volunteer Day by commemorating the selfless service done by these great personalities and creators in Nepal. However, due to lack of grand publicity, the practice of celebrating this day as a big celebration in Nepal has still not started yet. But, as a small celebration, it is already being celebrated these days.  But let us hope someday soon this day will be a big and grand celebration in our country too spreading as the green bermudagrass. Having said that, the practice of celebrating International Volunteer Day has been going on for a long time in the world though not much in Nepal.  In Nepal and other countries as well, it is written in scriptures that one will live in heaven if one serves or by serving others during the lifetime. For the same reason, most also people do participate in social service these days. Therefore, International Volunteer Day is celebrated today i.e December 5 every year in recognition of the work, recognizing their hard humanitarian work done by them.  International Volunteer Day | World Soil Day. 

Social service work in Nepal is believed to have started in 1927 B.S. Before that, social service was run through various Guthis (group of people from a community established for social service) In which the people of the community used to work for the common good. According to the traditional custom of that time, volunteers used to play a big role in voluntary and social work during earthquakes, floods, and other natural or man-made disasters, and that custom is still alive today in many places.  International Volunteer Day | World Soil Day. 

Swayamsewa in the literal sense is the Nepali translation of the English word “volunteer”, Although the word swayamseva may sound like serving oneself, the meaning of swayamseva is much broader. “Volunteering/swayemsewa is to serve without any remuneration, salary, or money. 

In the true sense, the special meaning of volunteerism is selfless service, voluntary work is the work of the selfless. There is no condition in volunteering, nor is there any interest hidden in it. ” It also does not mean one needs to work within a certain time. 

Volunteering should be done day and night and volunteers should be engrossed in service throughout the year. This is an important rule of volunteerism. A person who does not feel that the sick/ill person is in pain cannot do such hard and important work as volunteering means to feel others’ pain as “I too am hurt as him/her”.

Virtue is considered to be one of the most important qualities of a volunteer. Only those who have thematic knowledge about it, the ability to make sacrifices, intimacy in thinking qualities for others, education, and the ability to decide anything immediately are eligible to become volunteers.

There are countless examples of world peace and volunteerism during wars and conflicts. Florence Nightingale did more than just serve as a nurse to the wounded in the battleground. She carried the lamp all night with a humane feeling and applied ointment on the wounds of the afflicted. Due to which she was given the nickname “Lady with a Lamp”.

In the field of volunteerism in Nepal, there are organizations like Pati-Pauwa Nirman (well, stone sprouts construction committee), Mahaguthi, philanthropic organization, Nepal Scout, and Nepal Red Cross. And now there are plenty of people who volunteer to serve the community at their own expense. From the important work of such energetic people, it will surely be possible to make a significant contribution to the economic, social development, and community awareness of the country in the days to come with the help of volunteer work in the country.  International Volunteer Day | World Soil Day. 

Since volunteering is a special part of the social sector and provides immediate assistance even in complex situations, its work has/tends to be transparent. All those who serve in different spheres of society with selfless spirit, mind, word, and deed should work together.

If everyone is always working hand in hand with each other in the field of self-service by doing things that are in the interest of society, then the work of self-service will always be done in the interest of society. This is also the value and recognition and duty of social service.

 Why Celebrate International Volunteer Day:

Every day one International Day brings something and every day is they are equally important. Whether they are International Day or National Day, they are equally important.  The main purpose of all these days is to raise public interest in these important days, to educate the people on these issues, to mobilize political power and resources to address burning global issues, and to celebrate the achievements of humanity.

Volunteer work in various areas such as education, health, employment, disaster management from time to time, and civic awareness and environmental protection must always be continuous, never-ending, or stopping. Congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of International Volunteer Day to all dignitaries and organizations in the country and abroad. On the occasion of this day, let us celebrate this day with grandeur from our respective places by carrying out various programs all over the world including the member nations, and by carrying out various self-service-oriented activities.

On this occasion of International Volunteer Day, we at Nepali Patro would like to express our sincere congratulations and thanks to all the volunteers living in the country and abroad for their volunteer service.

World Soil Day

The third stone, i.e., the origin of the earth, and its five evolutionary five elements, namely, the five elements, in which the properties of the earth (earth), water (water), fire (Tejas), air (air) and space (sky) originated. And after these water, earth (earth), air, fire, and soil were formed, life gradually started here on earth. As mentioned above, all the substances of the earth are made up of five basic elements (Five (Pancha) elements) which are collectively called Panchmahabhuta and they have or have the combined properties of Panchmahabhuta. And in this way, as a single cell life developed, so did human life some hundreds of years later.  International Volunteer Day | World Soil Day. 

After human development, human beings moved from one place to another for food and lived on a diet of groundnuts and fruits. But with the passage of time, they discovered that he could cultivate the soil on earth to survive. And, in the soil, people started cultivating using water.

After thousands of years of learning to cultivate in this way, he also learned the art of making fire and started the practice of cooking crops produced in the soil on fire. After many years of research and nomadic life, humans built huts using weeds as a roof over their heads and also tried to avoid possible attacks from wild animals. People have been learning all these processes for thousands of years. As time went on, men came to know that soil has made a significant contribution to his life, which is the same today as it will be in the future.  International Volunteer Day | World Soil Day. 

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) celebrates World Soil Day on December 5 each year to focus the world’s attention on the importance of healthy soil and to spread awareness about sustainable soil resource management.

Bhumibol Adulyadej, the father of King Bajiralonkorn of Thailand, officially started celebrating  World Soil Day on December 5, on the occasion of his birthday. The International Soil Year, 2015 (IYS 2015) was declared on December 20, 2013, after the 68th General Assembly of the United Nations recognized December 5 as World / International Soil Day.

Without soil, most of the basic human needs, including food and many other things, would not be met. For the same reason, it cannot be denied that soil occupies a very important place in human life. Plants and trees should be planted around the field for soil conservation and forest conservation. This will eliminate the problem of soil erosion. If the irrigation system is not good, the farmers will suffer and when there is a good irrigation system, it also helps to save the soil erosion.  International Volunteer Day | World Soil Day. 

In the same way, focusing only on conventional farming will make the farmers inexperienced in modern farming and it will not be beneficial to cultivate without testing the soil. Similarly, research has shown that if farmers are trained on what kind of seeds to sow in which soil and what kind of medicine to use, agricultural production will also increase.

We can see with our own eyes many positive and negative changes taking place in society due to the effect of modernization, but there are some changes which we cannot see or feel. For example, changes in the soil. Soil pollution can never be detected if we do not test it in a lab. That is why the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization started celebrating World / International Soil Day on December 5 every year to draw the world’s attention to the importance of healthy soil and to spread awareness about sustainable management of soil resources.

In modern times different pollutants have also been added. Even when we walk, we trample the soil under our feet, but have we ever worried about the soil that we are trampling under? 

 Very few of us might have thought about the soil. Due to this same habit ours’ habit of neglecting, almost about one-third of the world’s soil level has fallen and become very weak already. Contamination from human activities, such as industrial activities, urban waste, and other non-environmental practices, and as well as the use of excessive pesticides to increase crop yields during farming, has led to a decline in soil capacity year by year. The soil does possess the ability to filter out soil pollution to some limited extent, but it is very limited and the soil cannot filter more than its capacity because of which it loses its production power.  International Volunteer Day | World Soil Day. 

Not only a sound soil but its alertness and dedication too are most required as it produces us fruits and many other goods to consuming. Likewise, clean soil is also needed to clean groundwater, carbon deposits, and many types of gases in the atmosphere. But, If we don’t think about soil right now, the world will soon face a big food crisis.

Now is the time to not only think about the soil but also to take action to make it profitable as well as healthy. Knowing about the dangers that soil may get in the future, we must now start being careful and avoid the risks that can destroy or harm the soil.

May the volunteers’ work continue always. May it never stop. Pay attention to the awareness spread by World / International Soil Day from today. Good soil, fertile soil, as Nepali Patro desires, it is our wish that every living being on this planet may and can eat pure and healthy food.

 

 

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