Bengaluru: Natural calamities like floods destroy the lives of human beings and animals alike. But the same calamities can be used as opportunities to foster fraternity and spread harmony in the society.
 
Take for instance what Yuva Brigade, a team of youngsters who wholeheartedly serve the society with no selfish motive did in a rain-hit village (Sunnala) of Ramadurga taluk, Belagavi district, Karnataka.
 
As rains poured down with no mercy, houses, temples and even mosques were not spared.
 
Once the rains receded, elders of the village sought the help of Yuva Brigade to clean up the mosque which was full of mess.
 
With no second thoughts, the members agreed. With a strength of around 25 members, the team arrived with the necessary tools and cleaned up the mosque and its surroundings.
 
The story just doesn’t end with the mosque in question. The members lent a helping hand in clearing up a nearby Hanuman temple, and a primary school as well.
 
Chakravarthy Sulibele, founder, Yuva Brigade, said, “We should not differentiate people based on caste, creed or religion. During an emergency like this, it becomes all the more imperative that we remain secular and lend a helping hand to the aggrieved souls. It is not just mosques, we have cleaned up churches, temples and even schools as well. When rain hit Kodagu last year, I have seen people eating in temples and madrasas. These institutions build characters. We were asked by the locals to clean the mosque. We paid heed.”
 
At a time when religion and caste-based discrimination is high, this move to clean up a mosque comes as a living definition of India’s plurality.
 
Floods in north Karnataka have rendered hundreds homeless. People from other parts of the state have contributed generously for the developmental works to be taken up to ensure affected people are served better.